With every viewing of the Flyers, Murata has always been the primary playdriver, and the OHFs were no different. I thought he did an excellent job as their primary puck manager and play driver, making things tick whenever he was on the ice. Everything Charlie did was about playing with control, managing the puck, and finding ways to get pucks up ice and into the dangerous parts of the ice. His impact mainly revolved around the fluidity in his skating and tactical touches that he used to dodge and skirt any defender trying to take away his time and space. Especially in the offensive zone, he was dominant with the puck on his stick, controlling the puck along the exterior of the offensive zone and finding ways to move pucks to teammates on the inside. This in-zone dominance was the primary element that stood out in Charlie's game, as he created plenty of scoring chances and tallied a handful of assists across my viewings. Murata had one of the nicest goals of the weekend, showing his quick hands to deceive the goaltender with a forehand backhand goal and tucking home a shorthanded breakaway. He had a handful of other scoring chances, finding open space in the slot and firing pucks on net, but it was mainly his playmaking game that stood out. As expected, Charlie's performance was sensational, further cementing why I was so bullish on him and why he's near the top of our '09 rankings.

At the Draft Day Showcase, Murata was his typical self, combining fluid mechanics and smart decisions to drive positive results. What I grew to appreciate about his game over the showcase is his efficiency. He doesn't need to be puck-dominant or control the play for long stretches, and he can generate tremendous offence without being the primary flow-through man. Murata frequently got passes down the wing, entered the offensive zone with complete control, and then picked apart the defence. He relied on his high-end ability to play in motion, shift his positioning to escape anything the defence tried to do to close him down and find ways to generate scoring chances. While Murata did have a handful of his own scoring chances, beating defenders to the middle, most of his success came after a swift move to escape a check and then threading pucks to teammates in the middle of the ice for golden opportunities. It never felt like Charlie was trying to do much with his possessions; he was simply processing what the defence was giving him and reacting accordingly, depending on the situation. Typically, Murata is the primary option for the Flyers, so seeing him thrive in a new environment with more equally talented players was great, as it showed that he can adapt and still find success.

In my eyes, Murata was the top performer at the Toronto Titans Tournament, which made me seriously consider starting the year with him in the #1 spot. While I went with Warren, his play more than earned him a spot in the first overall conversation, and if I had to guess, he is the #1 guy in many people's eyes. There's lots I could say here, but as always with Murata, I was mainly impressed with the fluidity in his mechanics, how he managed the puck, and dominated when he was on the ice. In his solid-sized frame, Murata is incredibly mobile, able to shift in any direction necessary, all while cradling the puck with high-end handling. While they are different players, his mechanics remind me of what made me so bullish on Nathan Amidovski (2024 OTT 1st) last season, being that fluid skater in a 6'2 frame that is set up incredibly well for future development. There are many ways Charlie created scoring chances, but I was mainly impressed with his ability to control play in the offensive zone for long stretches, use his mobility and handling to get off the wall, and then penetrate a shooting lane or dish to an open teammate for a perfect opportunity. One of the selling points with Murata was all of this felt practical and methodical. Rarely was he trying to do too much, but all of his actions seemed to be appropriate for the scenario, and I never questioned his decision-making to be over-ambitious. Evidently, it was an impressive performance from the Flyers forward, and it should be an exciting season dissecting his game further.

This tournament cemented Murata as the #1 for me. Every time he was on the ice he made an impact, controlling the game, and always knowing what to do and how to do it, which to me proves that he is already ready for the next level. Murata’s skating is fairly elite for his age, being highly mobile, able to move in any direction, balanced, and able to pivot and activate at any point in his stride. His hand coordination helped with his puck control but it was his ability to manage it that stood out more. Carrying it off the boards, around defenders' sticks, and pulling guys onto himself throughout the game, before he would move the puck seamlessly to a linemate, setting them up for an ideal scoring chance. Graceful in his mechanics, Murata stood out on a very talented team, running well-constructed sequences without overplaying it.

The '09 forward was hands down the most impactful skater on the Don Mills side in this game. If the Flyers were creating a scoring chance, he would most often be the one making things happen that led to that scoring chance. He was his confident and assertive self that I've seen with every U15 viewing, but seeing him to be as puck dominant at this level was impressive. Every time he touched the puck, he was trying to make something happen, frequently dangling by defenders to advance play deep into the offensive zone. Murata created one of the Flyers' goals, spotting an open teammate in the slot who finished Charlie's pass.

I've raved about a very select group of players in my evaluations of the Port Huron Silver Stick as players who truly separated themselves from the pack, and Murata is in that elite group. There was lots to like in Charlie's game, but what I was most impressed with was the power and assertiveness he played with. With every stride and puck touch, you could see how much power was behind every move, yielding a player who could move in any direction in an instant and was difficult to contain or knock off the puck. Leveraging these tools, Murata effectively controlled play in transition, skirted any forechecker trying to close him down and successfully entered the offensive zone with control on almost every sequence. Similarly, within the offensive zone, he was incredibly effective at opening up passing lanes by using his on-puck tools, manipulating defenders out of position and slipping pucks to teammates in the middle lane for scoring chances. Evidently, it was quite the first impression from the Don Mill Flyer and one that more than cemented him near the top of my 2009 Ontario watchlist.

Charlie Murata was one of those players who may not directly carrier the puck too much in possession, or necessarily even be all that active when its on his stick, but his ability to fake out defenders, change the passing angle, and thread passes through tight seams and traffic made him such a valuable piece for his team. His work when pressured along the boards in the offensive zone was one of his standout qualities, great lateral explosiveness allowed him to shake off checkers, step outside their range of reach and slip a puck by them to an open man in the middle of the ice. As a whole a lot of his damage was done below the offensive goal line, pressuring puck carriers on the breakout, some great anticipation and positioning let him intercept pucks and quickly form counters. When he wasn’t in possession of the puck, he was great at finding soft ice in dangerous locations, making himself an option to finish off quality scoring chances. He had a great scoring chance in one game where only a few explosive steps let him dart into open ice down the slot, receive a pass, and have plenty of time alone on in with the goaltender. I think with a little bit more courage when carrying the puck to the middle on his own accord, and Murata will really round-out his offensive toolbox.

He was the most active forward for this squad today with his quality puck touches and beating players up ice constantly. He can control the puck down low on the PP, off the rush, in tight against goaltenders, and facilitates give-and-gos in tight spots. I loved how he’d step into a gap off a 3on2 and if he gets those chances into the slot, he can wire an accurate wrist shot. He can move with power and consistently pushes with pace the entire game.