He arrives after leading Michigan State with 25 goals and 50 points in 35 games as a freshman, and with a better appreciation of what it takes to be a professional.
"I look back and I think that's the best decision I've ever made, to go in there to Michigan State," Martone said. "I give a ton of thanks to (coach) Adam Nightingale and the whole staff there. They did a tremendous job developing me. I think I learned so much as a player, in the gym, created pro habits. I really learned what it's like to be part of a winning culture and winning team there. I think that's something I can bring here."
That process started Monday when he began to learn the Flyers' systems during an optional practice with a handful of players and assistant coaches Jaroslav Svejkovsky and Jay Varady.
"I think I'm just going to have to keep an open mind and continue to learn every single day," Martone said. "I'm coming into a room full of NHL players, NHL coaches. I don't think it's going to happen overnight. I think I'm going to have to learn. ... I think I'm a smart hockey player, so I'll be able to pick it up and just trust my instincts, trust the way I play, and I'm sure I'll be able to fit in."
Whenever Martone plays his first NHL game, which could be as soon as at the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, NBCSP), he understands how he needs to perform on and off the ice to be successful.
"I just really found my identity as a player and who I need to be to be successful," Martone said. "Coach Nightingale really forced on me to play below the hash marks, play in front of the net.
"Another thing that he told me when I got there is if I want to play at the NHL level, I'm going to have to play at a faster pace, I'm going to have to get faster, and that's something that I really worked on there. The college game is a lot faster than junior, and to get that transition, the next step, from junior to the NHL, I think college is a perfect steppingstone. That's something that I worked on a lot with the strength coach and then at practice. Got to practice four times a week, and that was kind of the whole focus, getting faster, getting stronger and being a competitive player."
Martone said he arrived on campus weighing 198 pounds and left at 210. That physical development including him losing three percent body fat on a 6-foot-3 frame.
"I gained a lot of muscle mass," he said. "That's something that I give a lot of credit to Michigan State and our strength coach, Will Morlock. He was great with me, kind of taught me the pro habits, how to prepare my body, how to cool down, and then we got to work out four times a week. That's something that I needed and something that I noticed a big difference in, just being able to have more endurance in games and be able to last longer."
Martone's combination of skill and newfound maturity have the Flyers eagerly anticipating what he could bring for the remainder of their push for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Philadelphia (37-24-12) has won three straight and is two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference, its 86 points tied with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators with each team holding one game in hand on Columbus.
"Just the way he plays the game, having a guy like that in our lineup," Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Sunday. "I'm not going to put the tag on him, but somebody's talking about, like, a Corey Perry type of guy. Those are hard to find, so excited to have a guy like that."
