Canada captain Porter Martone apologizes after fiery Czechia opener

MINNEAPOLIS — Facing the media on Saturday morning at the team’s hotel, Porter Martone apologized.

The freshly minted Canadian world junior captain was the centre of social media attention following the team’s wild 7-5 win over Czechia on Boxing Day, and not for the reasons he would’ve liked.

After icing the game with an empty-net goal in the final minute of the third period, Martone skated by Czechia’s bench and gave forward Adam Novotny a tap from behind before continuing on to celebrate with his own bench. 

The 19-year-old winger is one of six holdovers from the 2025 roster that lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals, adding a significant emotional dimension to the team’s opening game.

Before the puck even dropped, the evening began with Martone and defencemen Kashawn Aitcheson and Zayne Parekh engaging in some pre-game shenanigans at centre ice during warmups. Martone glided toward the centre dot and made significant contact with Czech forward Max Curran.

For his actions at the end of the game, Martone was immediately assessed a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. While the ensuing Czech power play didn’t convert, Martone felt it was necessary to address the following day.

“We’ve been told about (discipline) since we got here, and I need to apologize for the actions I took yesterday at the end of the game,” he said. “That’s unacceptable, and that can’t happen. As the captain of this team, the leader of this team, it just sets a bad (example) for the rest of the guys.”

Coach Dale Hunter said he didn’t see the incident until after the game, but that his team’s emotions needed to be kept in check.

“You just got to be smart all the time,” Hunter said. “You don’t need penalties. You see how good the power plays are here … You can’t be emotional. You just got to be robotic.”

“I’m a player that likes to play on the line and I went over the line,” Martone added. “That can’t happen, and it’s something I can learn from.”

‘He lives the game’

In the eyes of those around him, Martone’s credibility as Canada’s captain is unquestioned.

According to Jared DeMichiel, Martone’s associate head coach at Michigan State, Martone doesn’t just play hockey. He lives it.

“Some guys like the game, some guys love the game, and other people live the game,” DeMichiel said. “He lives the game, and I think it bleeds onto his teammates.”

That quality — more than points, draft position or pedigree — seems to be a large part of what made Martone Canada’s choice to wear the ‘C.’

Martone is the first NCAA player to hold the Canadian captaincy since Jaden Schwartz in 2012, and just the fifth college player ever to do so.

According to Hunter, the decision came directly from the room.

“The boys — that’s who they wanted, and that’s who they voted for,” he said. “When it comes from your own peers, that’s a great credit to you.”

It’s a leadership model Hunter knows well. He’s used the same player-voting system with the London Knights, where Canada forward Sam O’Reilly serves as captain.

“The most important thing is your peers, and you’re leading them,” Hunter said. “It’s a real compliment.”

As a depth player on last year’s Canadian team — and one of six returnees alongside Cole Beaudoin, Carter George, Jack Ivankovic, Jett Luchanko and Gavin McKenna — the disappointment still lingers around the program.

On Friday night, Martone proved himself as Canada’s emotional centre, even if that meant skirting the edge of the rulebook.

“He does everything,” Beaudoin said. “You see what he does on the ice, but off the ice, what people don’t see is his personality and his character traits that he brings to the team. He’s a really great guy and a really great leader.”

Beaudoin described a captain who understands balance — loose when he can be, serious when it matters.

“In the room, he’s a funny, kind of loose guy,” he said. “But when it comes to game time, all he wants to do is win. That’s what we all want to do.”

Martone’s path to this moment hasn’t neccesarily been as linear as some of his teammates. He began his junior career with the Sarnia Sting in a depth role, learning to fit into a lineup before later emerging as a go-to player after being dealt to Mississauga, later relocated to Brampton.

DeMichiel believes that early experience shaped how Martone sees the game.

“I think because of where he started off in junior hockey, he understands team hockey,” DeMichiel said. “He’s not just focused on goals and assists and things like that.”

That understanding has carried over at every level. Martone transferred to Michigan State last summer after three OHL seasons, opting for college hockey over signing a professional contract — a decision DeMichiel calls revealing.

“He’s a pretty good process-related person,” he said. “He could have signed a pro contract, and he felt like it was better for him to play this upcoming season with us and live in the present and not rush to that end goal.”

On the ice, Martone’s skill set is just as evident. Heading into the world juniors, he led all 22 of Canada’s skaters in points-per-game in Program of Excellence play, posting 14 goals and 41 points in 29 games. At Michigan State, he’s tied for third among NCAA freshmen with 11 goals and 20 points in 16 games.

DeMichiel points first to Martone’s hockey sense.

“His hockey IQ is pretty special,” he said. “His ability to make plays and creativity — he just has a knack in situations to make a play, to hold onto the puck that extra second, or to make that fast play.”

A ‘big-time player’

As seen in Canada’s opening game, there’s also an edge. During his draft year, Martone drew comparisons to Matthew and Brady Tkachuk for his willingness to agitate and live in uncomfortable areas.

Martone’s contact with Curran in warmup felt like a page taken straight out of the Tkachuks’ playbook.

“He does a good job of getting under the other team’s skin,” DeMichiel said. “He does it naturally. But he’s still maturing and growing, and he understands that. He knows he can get better, and he’s very coachable.”

That coachability, paired with experience on big stages, has given Canada confidence in giving Martone the reins. He’s the first player to compete at the world juniors after playing in the men’s world championship since Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2013.

“He’s played in international competition multiple times,” DeMichiel said. “He’s a big-time player who’s played in big-time situations. You don’t need to complicate it with him. You let him play. Let his talent, skill and heart take over.”

After an uneven opening game, Martone and his teammates have shown exactly that. The 6-foot-3 winger is skating on the top line alongside fellow top-10 NHL picks Michael Misa and Tij Iginla, a trio that has shown chemistry, combining for nine points in two pre-tournament games.

While the line was quieter in Canada’s win over Czechia, Martone and Iginla still both found the twine.

“That line has a ton of chemistry,” DeMichiel said. “They’re going to create a lot of problems for opposing teams.”

The roster around Martone is as talented as any Canada has iced. Of the 25 players selected, 18 were first-round NHL draft picks — the second-most in tournament history — and with several more projected first-rounders eligible in 2026, this group could eventually set a new mark.

Yet for all the talent, Hunter believes leadership still matters.

“Coaching against (Martone), we knew him pretty well,” Hunter said. “He’s a mature kid. He understands the game. He’s a real captain that way, helping out the younger guys because he’s been through it already.”

Martone carries not just expectations, but responsibility — to teammates, to a program looking to get back atop the podium, and to himself.

Friday’s incident seemed to be a reminder of that responsibility.

“I just need to be smarter,” Martone said. “It was a really dumb decision by me and not a smart play. I’m gonna learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“He knows when to chime in, he knows when to keep his mouth closed,” DeMichiel said. “For the most part, he lets his actions do the talking. In hockey, everybody can respect that.”