A joyous holiday season just got even better for the Philadelphia Flyers, with news breaking that top prospect Porter Martone will captain Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championships, which start this week.
A joyous holiday season just got even better for the Philadelphia Flyers, with news breaking that top prospect Porter Martone will captain Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championships, which start this week.
On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced that Martone, 19, will serve as Canada's captain, joined by Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Harrison Brunicke and Utah Mammoth prospect Cole Beaudoin, who will each don an 'A' for the upcoming tournament.
This won't be Martone's first rodeo as Canada's captain, either, as the Flyers' 2025 No. 6 overall pick also served in the role for the 2024 U18 World Junior Championships.
Finishing as the third-most prolific scorer in that tournament behind draft classmate James Hagens and top 2026 prospect Gavin McKenna, Martone ripped off five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points in just seven games.
Teammate and fellow Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko had seven points in seven games that year, for the sake of comparison.
'He's Ready for the NHL': Exciting Flyers Rookie Backed for Success from AfarWithout having played a significant role so far this season, Philadelphia Flyers rookie Nikita Grebenkin has endeared himself to local fans with his personality and style of play. That reach, of course, extends far beyond his nascent NHL career.
Elsewhere in the 2026 World Juniors, 2024 second-round pick Jack Berglund has been named Sweden's captain for the tournament, taking on a leadership role for the first time in his international career.
Berglund, 19, played against Martone and Luchanko in the 2024 World Juniors, scoring two goals, three assists, and five points in seven games.
Last but certainly not least is 2024 fourth-round pick Heikki Ruohonen, who has been given an 'A' for Finland for the upcoming World Juniors tournament.
The Harvard center has nine points across 12 career World Junior games between the U18 and U20 levels and won a silver medal with his nation last year.
Flyers Prospects End World Junior Summer Showcase with a BangFew NHL teams saw their prospects' stocks increase more at the World Junior Summer Showcase than the Philadelphia Flyers did this week.
Berglund and Sweden will help kick off the 2026 World Juniors, with their first game coming against Slovakia at 1 p.m. EST on Friday. Ruohonen and Finland will be up next against Denmark at 3:30 EST.
Category: General Sports
