Category: Sports News

Just one day into on-ice activities at development camp, the hype around top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Porter Martone is already growing.

The 18-year-old, who turns 19 on Oct. 26, is steadfast in his belief of his ability to make the NHL right away. This week is just an opportunity, in Martone's eyes, to set himself up for an early Flyers debut.

It's not unreasonable, either; Jett Luchanko, who had only turned 18 years old on Aug. 21 last summer, made the Flyers out of training camp and played in four NHL games before returning to his OHL club, the Guelph Storm.

But Martone's goal is to make it and stick. Any other outcome will be ironed out later.

"For me, my mindset is, play in the NHL next year. If the management staff here thinks otherwise, that's when there will be a talk with my agent and me," Martone said of his future, and potentially going the college route, at development camp Wednesday. "Right now, my goal is to make the NHL and have a big summer. Really gain some strength in the lower body and come into camp and try to earn my spot.

"For me, I want to go and play a full regular season in the NHL next year."

Openly advocating for himself and having that confidence at a young age is key, especially given that Flyers GM Danny Briere floated Martone by name as a potential injury replacement for Tyson Foerster, who could be at risk of missing the start of the 2025-26 season due to an injury and subsequent infection.

NHL Free Agency: Flyers Quickly Knock Out 3 Big NeedsThe Philadelphia Flyers are on a crusade to start NHL free agency, quickly signing multiple players, including Christian Dvorak, to address some big team needs.

"Obviously, when you come into camp, you have to earn your job. You're not going to just get it given to you," Martone added. "If I get the opportunity to come in, I want to give it my all and try to earn my spot on the opening night roster. If I do, that's a dream come true to play with the Flyers organization. That doesn't come without the work that needs to be put in."

And should Martone make the Flyers outright, he'll be one of the youngest debutants in franchise history. Captain Sean Couturier, for example, debuted only two months before he turned 19, so he'd be a nice sounding board for Martone in that event.

Until then, though, Flyers fans can take solace in the fact that Martone's mind is already in the right place, and his talent and work ethic will take him where he needs to go.

The 2025 No. 6 pick is very similar to Matvei Michkov in that regard, and perhaps it's not a coincidence that they approach the game itself similarly, too.

The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have signed forward Emil Heineman to a two-year extension. Per TVA's Renaud Lavoie, the deal carries a $1.1 million cap hit.

The 23-year-old was part of the package from Montreal in exchange for defenseman Noah Dobson, who has since signed an eight-year extension worth $9.5 million.  

Here's our story from the day of the trade, June 27, on one of the newest Islanders wingers:

Heineman scored 10 goals with 8 assists for 18 points with the Canadiens last season in a bottom-six role. The 2024-25 season was the first full season for the Swede, who was drafted in the second round by the Panthers in 2020.

He has bounced around multiple NHL teams, having been part of both the Sam Bennett trade to Florida and the Tyler Toffoli trade to Calgary.

Characterized by a high motor and versatility, Heineman maintains a strong two-way presence and can play both sides on the wing.

In sheltered minutes with Montreal, Heineman was a defensive piece for head coach Martin St. Louis and provided strong forechecking.

With Islanders’ head coach Patrick Roy, Heineman should click similarly and shore up New York’s forward depth.

The winger is a restricted free agent whose deal expired at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Kai Russell contributed to this story. 

PHOTO: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Here are the winners and losers of The Free Agent Frenzy

Winners:

1. Florida Panthers: Many didn’t think Bill Zito would be able to keep his big three pending UFAs - Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand - but he did. All on miraculously cheap contracts. Zito also re-signed Tomas Nosek, and now has all 12 forwards who skated in Game 6 of The Cup Final under contract… Three-peat? Why not? 

2. Las Vegas Golden Knights: From one core four to another. A sign-and-trade sent Mitch Marner to Vegas on an 8 year, $96 million contract. The Golden Knights top-6 may be the best in the league. Is this where Marner finds his playoff success? I say yes. 

3. New York Rangers: To sum up, GM Chris Drury turned K’Andre Miller into Vladislav Gavrikov, Scott Morrow, a conditional 2026 1st round pick and a 2026 2nd round pick. Oh, and Miller ($7.5M AAV) is making more, in Carolina, than Gavrikov ($7M AAV) is with New York. Great work by Drury. 

Losers: 

1. Edmonton Oilers: GM Stan Bowman made no additions with FIVE subtractions on July 1st. The man lost a good portion of his team’s depth. Not to mention, his goaltending situation has not been resolved. AND beginning next season, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard will be making a combined $24.5 million. Captain McDavid is heading into the final season of his contract… Does he stay or go? I predict he stays, but on a short term deal. 

2. Boston Bruins: With enough money to make a splash, GM Don Sweeney handed out some questionable contracts. Tanner Jeannot, 5x$3.5M AAV, being the biggest head scratcher. The Bruins didn’t take any strides toward playoff contention. 

3. Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are worse today than they were yesterday. Trading Jordan Spence, and losing Vladislov Gavrikov, for nothing, is not exactly ideal for their defense. Additionally, a majority of their money was spent on aging players - Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, and Brian Dumoulin - who won’t be the make or break of the team's success. 

The majority of the Free Agency big fish may be gone, but a player like Nikolaj Ehlers is still available. Who’ll get him?

Martone makes Simmonds smile, has mindset of making Flyers' lineup in October originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VOORHEES, N.J. — Wayne Simmonds watched Porter Martone around four to five times last season scouting the OHL for the Flyers.

He came away impressed.

Did he think the 6-foot-3, 98-point forward would drop to No. 6 in the 2025 NHL draft?

“I didn’t, personally,” Simmonds said with a laugh. “For us, we got lucky. We’ll take that one, we’ll definitely take that one.”

No doubt, the Flyers were happy to see Martone wearing a white and black practice jersey, with an orange No. 94, as development camp kicked off Wednesday. Just five days ago, they were scooping him up at sixth overall.

The 18-year-old was the first winger taken last Friday night and some public scouting services had him pegged as the third-best player in the draft.

“He’s a great player, big body, owns the net front and the boards,” Simmonds said. “Tremendous competitor.”

A beloved former Flyer, Simmonds is now in a consultant role with the club’s hockey operations department. He’s helping coach the prospects this week at development camp, getting a chance to see Martone again after watching him on the scouting trail. But apparently Simmonds had met him well before this year.

It was after a practice when Simmonds was playing for the Flyers. Martone even has a picture of the two together from that day. Back in the same facility, Martone reminded Simmonds about the moment.

“That was the first thing he said to me and I’m like, ‘Oh my God,'” Simmonds said. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘I’m that old?’ It was honestly really cool, it was really cool to hear.”

Great stuff. Picture courtesy of Porter Martone and Flyers. https://t.co/8cOTdN5nFvpic.twitter.com/PKBkJQtYfn

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 2, 2025

Martone, who is from Peterborough, Ontario, and once went to a Flyers game for his birthday, can still recall meeting Simmonds.

“We had, like, 50 kids just banging on the glass the whole practice,” Martone said. “Him and a couple of others took time out of their day to come say hi to us, take a couple of photos. I think that’s a big thing as an NHL player, being able to give back to the community, give back to little kids who look up to those footsteps. Now that I’m here, I want to make sure I do that to kids, try to make everyone’s day a positive, a little bit better.”

He could see more kids at Flyers Training Center come the fall if he makes the big club. That’s not outside the realm of possibility. Martone has a pro-style game and played with NHLers at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, suiting up twice for Team Canada.

“For me, my mindset is playing in the NHL next year,” Martone said when asked about his plans for 2025-26. “If the management staff here thinks otherwise, that’s when you kind of have a talk [between] my agent and me. But right now, my goal is to make the NHL, have a big summer, really gain some strength in the lower body and then come into camp and try to earn my spot. For me, I want to play a full regular season in the NHL next year.”

Good stuff here from Porter Martone to set up Conor Frenette’s goal. pic.twitter.com/qKMwwFBCvD

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 2, 2025

With uncertainty surrounding Tyson Foerster’s status because of an arm injury, general manager Danny Briere didn’t hesitate to mention Martone’s name as a candidate to fill any void on the wing.

“When you come into camp, you’re going to have to earn your job,” Martone said. “You’re not just going to get it given to you. If I get the opportunity to come in, I’m going to give it my all and try to earn my spot in the opening-night roster. If I do, that’s a dream come true to play with the Flyers’ organization.

“But that doesn’t come without the work that needs to be put in, I still have got to do some stuff throughout the summer to get me ready for training camp in September and get me ready to play in the NHL next season.”

Riley Armstrong sees some of Foerster in Martone.

“He reminds me a lot of Tyson when I was coaching him with the Phantoms,” the Flyers’ director of player development said. “He has that little bit of swag to him, like he knows that he’s a good player. And I think that’s a good thing, you want a player that has that, that confidence within himself.”

And if Martone needs to pinch himself being around Simmonds, that’s not a bad thing, either.

“It’s pretty cool when you get to see people you idolized when you were kid,” Martone said, “and now you’re working with them.”

The New Jersey Devils announced they have acquired forward Thomas Bordeleau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Shane Bowers. 

Bordeleau recorded 14 goals and 38 points in 59 games with the San Jose Barracuda and appeared in one game with the Sharks last season. 

The 23-year-old has 47 goals and 107 points in 161 career AHL and 18 points in 44 career NHL games. 

The 38th overall selection by the Sharks in the 2020 draft, Bordeleau had strong professional debuts in both the AHL and NHL but appears to have been passed on the depth chart by other Sharks prospects. He is a very intelligent player and this is a good high upside trade for New Jersey.

A native of Houston, TX., Bordeleau won the Tim Taylor Award as NCAA's top rookie with the Michigan Wolverines in 2021, was a Top 3 player on Team USA at the 2022 World Junior Championship, and represented the Pacific Division at the 2023 AHL All-Star Game. 

Keeping that Michigan to Jersey pipeline strong.

Everyone say hi to Thomas! pic.twitter.com/lGVqt5nKTU

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 2, 2025

Bowers had three goals and 17 points in 65 games with the Utica Comets and went pointless in four games with the Devils last season. 

The 25-year-old has 44 goals and 97 points in 282 career AHL games and is pointless in 13 career NHL games. 

A first round selection of the Ottawa Senators in  2017, Bowers was a member of Team Canada at the 2019 World Juniors and was named to the NCAA Hockey East All-Rookie Team with Boston University in 2018. 

Check out The Hockey News' San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils team sites for more updates. 

Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.      

Photo Credit: © David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Pierre Olivier-Joseph has found his new home. 

The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have signed Joseph to a one-year, $775,000 contract for the 2025-26 season.

General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with D Pierre-Olivier Joseph on a one-year contract worth $775,000.

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 2, 2025

Joseph, 26, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Penguins and became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1 because of it. Now, he is heading to the Canucks, where he will look to earn a spot on their NHL roster. 

Joseph was reacquired by the Penguins from the St. Louis Blues back in December of this past season. This was after the Penguins did not offer him a qualifying offer and let him walk in free agency last summer. In 24 games with the Penguins this campaign, the left-shot defenseman recorded one assist, 23 hits, and a minus-15 rating. 

In 171 games over five seasons and two stints with the Penguins, Joseph recorded eight goals, 30 assists, 38 points, 199 hits, and a minus-18 rating. His best season with the Penguins was during the 2022-23 campaign, as he posted career highs with five goals, 16 assists, 21 points, and a plus-8 rating in 75 games. 

Joseph will now look to have a bounce back season with the Canucks after earning this one-year, prove-it deal with them. It will be interesting to see what kind of campaign the 2017 first-round pick has with the Canucks from here. 

NHL News: Penguins Bring In Former Canadiens Forward The Pittsburgh Penguins have added to their forward depth.

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images