PVNC Catholic graduate goes for Gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships

Peterborough’s Porter Martone, 18, is expected to be a key player in Team Canada’s bid to win gold on home soil in Ottawa over the Christmas holidays.

Dec. 17, 2024

For the Martone family, the World Juniors have always been a big part of their Christmas holidays.

Every Boxing Day, they look forward to watching the tournament with family and friends.

But this year holds extra meaning as PVNC Catholic graduate Porter Martone is playing for Team Canada. That will be a proud moment for his mother Angela Martone, an educator at St. Paul CES, Lakefield, and his father Mike Martone, an educator at St. Peter CSS.

“We always host a pond hockey party on the backyard pond followed up with everyone coming inside to watch Team Canada play,” said Mike Martone. “This year, it is going to be extra special because we are going to be able to watch Porter play for Team Canada and pursue their goal of winning gold!”

Porter, a winger and captain of the Brampton Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League, is no stranger to winning gold on the international stage.

He captained Team Canada’s U-18 team to the championship in Finland last spring. He also set a scoring record held previously by Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard.

“Being named as a captain on any team is an honour but being part of a leadership group to represent Canada was extremely special,” said Mike. “Seeing how the team came together in a short period of time was truly amazing.”

Mike recalls how the team battled adversity in the final game by being down early but they charged on and came back to beat the rival USA to capture the gold medal.

“This experience will have a forever impact on Porter as a person and player,” Mike added. “His team learned the power of positivity and believing in themselves to represent Canada with class and determination on the world stage.”

Porter is expected to hear his name called by an NHL team this spring. He’s one of the top ranked players in this year’s draft class and is projected to be a top-5 pick.

“We are grateful for all the support and guidance that the Peterborough community has provided for Porter. Growing up as a PVNC Catholic student has taught him many core values that will help him pursue his goal of playing in the NHL,” Mike said. “He is blessed to be able to use his God given gifts to play hockey and represent the PVNC Catholic and Peterborough community wherever his hockey is going to take him. Porter truly loves the game of hockey and every opportunity that comes from it.”

The Martone family will make the trek to Ottawa on Christmas Day and will be cheering on Porter and Team Canada in-person for the whole tournament.

Canada opens the tournament on Boxing Day at 7:30 p.m. against Finland.

All games can be watched on TSN.

Cheer on Porter with this poster: Bring Home Gold