It didn’t take long for Porter Martone to make an impact in the National Hockey League.
Just eight days after Martone’s one-season Michigan State career ended with the Spartans’ 4-3 NCAA regional final loss to Wisconsin, Martone made his first NHL goal for the Philadelphia Flyers a dramatic one with an overtime game-winner against Boston on Sunday, April 5.
Martone is one of several MSU players who have signed contracts and joined NHL organizations over the past several days.
Martone, who signed with the Flyers on March 29, has impressed in his early days with the Flyers, including earning his first NHL point and recording nine shots on goal against Detroit last week. Martone has a goal and two assists in four games as Philadelphia continues to make a late push for a postseason berth.
In addition to Martone, MSU junior goaltender Trey Augustine signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Detroit Red Wings and will play the remainder of the season with Detroit’s American Hockey League affiliate team in Grand Rapids.
With the Griffins having already secured the top seed in the AHL’s Western Conference, Augustine will likely make a few starts down the stretch of the regular season with just five games remaining.
Two MSU defensemen have decided to turn pro and forego remaining years of eligibility while a handful of other Spartans who graduated found professional homes in recent days.
Sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph: Ralph, who was a second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2024, signed a three-year entry-level deal with the St. Louis Blues and will play the remainder of the 2025-26 season with AHL affiliate Springfield.
Ralph had one goal and 10 assists with the Spartans and was MSU’s steadiest presence on the blue line, finishing at plus-20 on the season and led the Spartans with 48 blocked shots.
Junior defenseman Maxim Strbak: Strbak, who continued to make strides with the Spartans, putting together his most complete year in his third season in East Lansing, signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him in the second round of the 2023 NHL draft.
Strbak, who had three goals and 15 assists in 37 games with the Spartans, will play the remainder of the season on an amateur tryout with the Rochester Americans.
Senior forward Charlie Stramel: Stramel, arguably MSU’s top all-around player his final season, on April 6 signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him in the first round of the 2023 NHL draft. Stramel finished with 19 goals and 25 assists as a senior and thrived playing in all situations. He was easily the Spartans’ top faceoff man and ranked No. 2 in the nation with 482 faceoff wins. He will not play the remainder of the season after breaking his ankle in MSU’s loss to Wisconsin.
Senior defenseman Matt Basgall: Basgall, who captained the Spartans in his final season, signed with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL on an amateur tryout. Basgall was the Big Ten Defenseman of the Year and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection with four goals and 16 assists for MSU this past season. He played all situations and quarterbacked the Spartans’ top power-play unit. Basgall blocked 42 shots and committed just two penalties all season.
Senior forward Daniel Russell: Russell, who played on MSU’s top line for all four of his seasons in East Lansing and finished his career with more than 100 points, signed with the AHL’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the season. Russell had 11 goals and a team-leading 28 assists this season.
Senior forward Tiernan Shoudy: Shoudy signed a deal with the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season and will make his debut for them on April 7. Shoudy had a career-best 20 points for MSU in his final season and had a 54.4 faceoff win percentage.
Several other drafted underclassmen on MSU’s roster have decided to return to the Spartans next season. That includes notable freshman Ryker Lee, who had 15 goals and 15 assists in his first season after being a first-round pick by Nashville in the 2025 draft.
Freshman forwards Cayden Lindstrom (2024 first round, Columbus), Eric Nilson (2025 second round, Anaheim) and Anthony Romani (2024 sixth round, Vancouver), as well as sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi (2025 second round, Philadelphia) and junior defenseman Patrick Geary (2024 sixth round, Buffalo) are also expected to return to MSU next year.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott and Bluesky @nathanielbott.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Martone’s early NHL impact highlights several MSU hockey players joining pro ranks
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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