Michigan State Alumni Report: NHL Week of Oct. 4–10
It was a week of contrasts for Spartans in the NHL — one finding his footing, another losing his.
Martone Ends the Drought
Porter Martone had not made life easy on himself to start the 2026-27 season. The Philadelphia Flyers winger was one of the more scrutinized young players in the early going, drawing attention for all the wrong reasons as his struggles were highlighted across hockey media. But on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, the Michigan State product answered back in the most direct way possible.
Martone wired a snipe top-corner — the kind of shot that needs no asterisk — for his first goal of the season in what ended up a 1-5 Flyers loss. The tally didn't change the outcome, but it changes the conversation. For a player still establishing himself at the NHL level, shaking off an early slump with a clean, confident finish is exactly the kind of moment that carries weight heading into a long season. Fellow Spartan and Flyers teammate Jack Studnicka (C) is also on Philadelphia's roster, giving East Lansing a small but notable footprint on Broad Street.
Appleton Shelved in Detroit
The other Michigan State headline from this week wasn't so encouraging. Mason Appleton, the Red Wings' center, is among a wave of Detroit players sidelined through the first stretch of the season. The Red Wings have been hit hard by an injury crisis through their opening two games, with Appleton joining Marco Kasper, JT Compher, and Jacob Bernard-Docker on the shelf — forcing Detroit into significant lineup reshuffling. No timetable for Appleton's return was specified, but the situation in the Motor City is one the Red Wings' front office is clearly treating with urgency.
The Rest of the Spartan Landscape
Beyond Martone and Appleton, Michigan State alumni are spread across the league in various capacities. Torey Krug remains with the St. Louis Blues on the blue line; Sean Behrens is with Colorado; Jeff Petry is in Minnesota; Mackenzie MacEachern is in Vancouver; and Karsen Dorwart is with Florida. None generated notable individual coverage this week, but the depth of Spartan representation across the NHL — six active skaters across six franchises — underscores the program's continued pipeline to the professional game.
The week belonged to Martone, though. One goal in a loss isn't a redemption arc — but for a young player who needed a spark, it was a start.
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