The Latvian import has performed well internationally, and should be in the mix to be drafted in the middle rounds.
It's officially NHL draft week, and with that, the amount of prospects left to cover is growing lower.
With that being said, today's profile is on Olivers Murnieks, someone who entered the season hoping to push into conversations in the top-50, or even higher, but an injury-riddled season has seen him stagnate in the rankings.
The Latvian import had 20 (7+13) points in just 31 games this season with the Saint John Sea Dogs, his rookie QMJHL campaign.
Olivers Murnieks possesses good habits, but was unable to have a sustained period of dominance last season. (Photo: Mike Hawkins)Playing as a youth player with Baltu Vilki in his native Latvia, Murnieks moved to the HK Mogo system in his 15-year-old season. Then, he took the jump over to North America at 16, playing for the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers.
His play there, combined with his international play as an underager at both the U18 and U20 levels, caught the attention of a ton of scouts. The 6-foot-1 centreman then chose to head to the QMJHL in his draft year.
It was a frustrating year for Murnieks, who battled injury all season long. The pros to his game revolve around his headiness and hard-working style as a two-way centre, with his hockey intelligence and compete really standing out.
While he never really got going offensively on a rebuilding Sea Dogs team, he fared a bit better when playing for his country. After scoring four points in five games for Latvia at the World Juniors, he added six points in seven games at the U18 worlds as well.
It's that play that keep Murnieks' draft stock alive, really. Usually, a forward who scores just seven goals at the major junior level, injuries or not, doesn't grab a ton of interest from scouts. But, he's shown himself well elsewhere, and has enough of a track record of himself to stay in the mix in the top 100 or so picks, likely.
Murnieks will stick out for a team looking for a dependable and projectable centre, with a bit of upside that might have been hidden this year thanks to his injury troubles. Also, being a July 31 birthday, he's one of the younger eligible players available for selection this year.
It seems like Saint John will want to improve for 2026-27 as they build around Alexis Joseph, and their Latvian import will slot in very well on the second line, being a key part of the penalty kill as well.
That will encourage some scouts, and it's possible Murnieks can take a step in his sophomore year before heading to the NCAA's Boston College in 2027-28.
But, first, he'll see which NHL team will call his name in Buffalo on Saturday.
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