Murphy started off the tournament with a very strong performance in game 1 before losing steam towards the tail end, but he still managed to showcase his effective north-south game alongside some impressive physical tools. With the puck on his stick he opted to take defenders head on, choosing to leverage his handles to pull pucks around them or sidestep checks as he attacked wide in order to create off the rush. He liked to insert himself in the slot area off-puck in the offensive zone to make himself a prime passing option or to jump on loose pucks if they presented themselves, boxing out opposing defenders with his frame to win possession and fire off a quick shot from a dangerous area.

It was quite a different experience watching Murphy this time around, as he didn’t have to be the primary playdriver like he did for Team PEI at the QMJHL Cup; rather, I found he was able to utilize his advanced physical tools more effectively in a complimentary role. He was utilizing a dump and chase method on his puck touches through the neutral zone in order to get in quickly and physically on the forecheck to create opportunities for himself and his linemates below the goal line. He was at his best in the offensive zone when he was using his physical advantages to win body positioning in front of the net and earn looks for himself by garnering rebounds and pouncing on loose pucks in the crease area. He was more of a shoot first ask questions later type of player with the puck on his stick, opting to shoot low for rebounds while attacking off the rush rather than dish off to a linemate. I thought Murphy showed an intriguing set of puck retrieval skills throughout the event as well by being able to contort his body and corral loose pucks in difficult situations, especially in tight while dealing with contact, which allowed him to generate looks for himself from dangerous areas. He’s a bit heavy footed in his skating mechanics at this juncture in his development, but his physical small area game in conjunction with the skill he possesses are enough to make me optimistic about him as a prospect.

Murphy was the player who I thought flashed the most projectable toolkit out of the entire PEI roster. His skill and size combination made him a very difficult player to contain off the rush, while his versatility made him an unpredictable attacker as well. In transition he could either leverage his puck skills to execute cuts to the middle of the ice and break through the hands of defenders to get off looks from the inside or use his intriguing top-end speed to catch a step and make a hard cut to the net to create a chance in tight. Murphy flashed strong puck-protection ability throughout as well, which allowed him to be a strong contributor off the cycle as he worked his way along the perimeter looking to either make a hard dash off the halfwall or funnel pucks to the interior. His work off-puck was equally impressive, as he was able to create offense off the forecheck by getting in quickly on defenders to force turnovers, generate puck touches and establish offensive zone possession time. He was even able to nullify a few opposing odd-man rush opportunities with strong backchecks that ended with a shrewd stick lift and him initiating the counterattack in the opposite direction.

Murphy’s middle-oriented power game was highly effective in this one, especially in the second period where I thought he was able to take over a couple of shifts using his physicality on-puck. He scored his teams 3rd goal of the game by pouncing on a loose puck in the high slot and flashing his quick release by snapping a shot high left that beat the goaltender cleanly. He earned himself another point later in the period by winning a battle for the puck low in the offensive zone, spinning off a check to gain access to the middle of the ice that lead to a shot on goal from in tight that was banged home on the rebound. He had a slick rush sequence in the middle frame as well, gaining the offensive blueline off the rush and slipping through a check along the boards to create a 2v1 but just missing on the low shot in tight.

The way Murphy was able to use his size and skill package in a multitude of ways to create offense for himself and his teammates made him one of the more effective forwards in this game. Right off the hop he was flashing good top-end speed that allowed him to back defenders off so he could gain the zone before delaying along the perimeter, embracing contact and setting up the prolonged cycle sequences for his line. His size and strength gave him an advantage in puck battles as well, allowing him to consistently come out on top in one on one battles and secure possession which lead to even further sustained pressure. He nearly scored in the first period when he took a puck off the halfwall, drove through a defender to get to the middle of the ice and fired off a quick shot from a dangerous spot that was denied. Murphy even showed some flashes of playmaking off the rush in this one by driving defenders head on and creating space up high in the process before executing drop passes to teammates.

Murphy’s combination of size and skill made him a highly effective transitional attacker for PEI throughout this game. He was consistently able to get a step on defenders while he was attacking down the wing which gave him room to dip his shoulder and drive the net to create scoring chances for himself and teammates in tight. When the defenders started to respect his speed, he took the space up high that was given to him in the offensive zone, assesses his options and was able to execute passes to teammates in the low slot area looking for deflections in tight.

Murphy was the most effective forward throughout the entirety of this contest, using his size and reach to disrupt plays on the forecheck and flash some intriguing skill for a player his size. He scored the game first goal when he picked off an outlet attempt, came into the zone with speed and fired a perfect shot in motion over the blocker. Throughout the rest of the game he was doing strong work on the forecheck, often forcing turnovers and winning battles along the boards before funneling pucks to the middle of the ice. He was very difficult to contain along the perimeter in the offensive zone demonstrating good puck protection abilities to fend off defenders and extend his puck touches too buy himself time to assess his options and make a play.