On a line with two skilled playmakers in Kane Barch and Jack Taylor, Murray filled the necessary role to make the line tick and mainly provide a relentless forechecking presence. So often, I noted him disrupting opponents' breakout attempts, applying pressure on the forecheck, and forcing turnovers deep in the offensive zone. After securing loose pucks down low, Jake was effective at protecting pucks from defenders, working off the boards, and making things happen in these small area sequences. It often wasn't the sexy play from Jake, but just doing the little things to win possession and spark scoring chances. Murray found the back of the net many times in my views, all under the theme of hands in tight and capitalizing on net front chances, showcasing a finishing touch when the moment struck. His play over the Silver Stick earned him one of the final spots on my updated 2025 OHL Draft rankings, and I can easily see how he'd be a candidate to climb over the remainder of the season as I start to fine-tune the precise ordering of my list.

An underlying theme of my writeups from the Toronto Titans Tournament are players who may not have had the most impact or scored the most points, but who made positive first impressions for their physical tools. While Jake certainly had his flashes of creating scoring chances, I was mainly impressed with the "how" behind those chances were being created. He's a really powerful and fluid skater, that I was initially impressed as he moved around the ice very well in his frame. Having the physical characteristics is one thing, but having the ability to move around the ice efficiently at a bigger size is the key. To go along with his size, Murray had no shortage of puck skills, showcasing many quick dangles to escape danger and having complete control of the puck even under pressure. There were some moments where these two abilities came together, where Jake played impressively in motion, skirting through a check with a slick move and attacking the dangerous parts of the ice, all through his combination of mobility and puck handling. It all made me think that as the season goes on and I watch Huron-Perth more and more if I keep seeing Jake flex these tools more and more to drive dangerous results, he could become an intriguing player worth keeping on my radar.

Murray stood out again for his handling, skating in small areas, and how he used his physical tools to protect the puck. Down low, off the cycle, and on the outside on the rush, Jake was always protecting the puck from defenders and difficult to contain. He had a handful of plays where this all came together, and he used his frame to protect the puck to the outside, win a step on the defender, and cut in for a scoring chance. I noted the physical tools at the Titans Tournament, and he seemed to be leveraging them more and more to create chances in this game.