After New York Islanders centre Bo Horvat sustained a tournament-ending injury at the World Championship, Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone joined Team Canada's roster and became the only draft-eligible player to suit up at the event.

When Martone initially signed up to join Team Canada at training camp there was no guarantee he would end up playing. The 18-year-old was happy to simply soak up the experience.

"Any time you get to surround yourself with NHL players and the calibre of players that are there, it's a great experience," Martone said. "It's definitely surreal being able to step on the ice with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon for the first time."

Martone played in the preliminary-round finale against Sweden and in the quarterfinal loss to Denmark. He also played in both of Canada's pre-tournament games, scoring a goal in an exhibition encounter against Hungary.

Along the way, Martone learned from Crosby's leadership, MacKinnon's competitiveness, Marc-Andre Fleury's attitude, Ryan O'Reilly's compete, and Kent Johnson's creativity. He also learned something about himself.

"I realized I could play with those guys," Martone said. "I started the pre-tournament on a line with Macklin Celebrini and Travis Konecny and, at first, there's definitely an adjustment with just being able to keep up with the pace. But once you get used to that, you're playing with really good players, and you're able to gain confidence. When I got into the tournament, I feel like I got better shift by shift."

The experience provided Martone some momentum as he prepares to head to Buffalo for the NHL Scouting Combine next week.

Martone is expected to be a top pick at next month's NHL draft in Los Angeles. He came in No. 3 in the draft-lottery edition of TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie's prospect rankings. TSN director of scouting Craig Button has Martone going second overall to the San Jose Sharks in his latest mock draft.

During a conversation with TSN, Martone reflected on his month with Team Canada. The Peterborough, Ont. native shared his takeaways from being around some of Canada's top talent. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

TSN: What was your No. 1 pinch-me moment at the World Championship?

Martone: Probably when you're actually on the ice and you're in the drills and you're passing the puck over to Crosby or you're in line rushes with other NHL players. I thought it was pretty cool. These guys were my idols growing up.

TSN: What was your first conversation with Crosby like?

Martone: He introduced himself and said 'Hi' and everything. It was pretty cool being able to talk to him and meet him and then, while the tournament went on, he just kind of became your teammate. He was very good to me and everyone. You could tell why he's such a good captain in the NHL and why he's such a prestigious hockey player.

TSN: What's one thing he said to you that resonated?

Martone: Before my first game against Sweden, we were walking out of the room and he just told me to be myself out there on the ice and 'Just go play our game.' I thought that........

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