Wild: Porter Martone went from banging on the glass in Voorhees to skating alongside Wayne Simmonds

Porter Martone was once just another wide-eyed Flyers fan standing at the glass in Voorhees, hoping a player might toss him a puck or stop for a photo. One guy did—Wayne Simmonds.

Fast forward to this week, and Porter Martone isn’t on the outside looking in anymore. He’s on the ice in Vorhees, skating right alongside Simmonds, who’s now a part of the Flyers’ Player Development staff.

Life comes at you fast when you’re the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

“I went back and found the photo,” Martone told reporters after Day 1 of Flyers development camp. “It’s pretty cool when someone you looked up to as a kid ends up being part of your development team.”

Holy Hell. You want to talk about full circle? That’s it.

No matter what way you cut it, Martone idolizing Wayne Simmonds when he was a young buck to know running drills with him is pretty cool. They should have capped off the entire thing by dropping the gloves.

Martone going head to head with the Wayne Train would have been the perfect kind of thing that gets a fanbase buzzing, especially when the kid is a big, skilled winner with an NHL-ready frame and a veteran mindset.

On that note, it’s refreshing to see a guy who gets it on day one. Porter Martone was saying all the right stuff, talking about giving back to the community, while remembering how much it meant to him to meet Simmonds when he was a kid.

Obviously, Martone wants to do the same thing for the next wave of Flyers fans who arrived in Vorhees early in the morning to get a first look at the kid they all hope will be a future star in South Philadelphia.

“They didn’t have to come out this early in the morning,” he said. “But they did. And that’s special. Flyers fans are passionate. I’m happy to be part of that.”

Gotta love it. Not like I need to remind everyone reading, but this city doesn’t ask for much when it comes to their sports teams. Play hard. Respect the fanbase. Be a part of the city. Porter Martone hasn’t even played a minute of NHL hockey yet, but he’s already acting like someone who gets it.

Hell of a start.

“To be able to put on a Flyers jersey for the first time was something special.” pic.twitter.com/MQpmSFNLSC

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 2, 2025

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