Welcome to this edition of "From The Archive". In this recurring series, we open The Hockey News' vault and display some of the top WHL-related articles from the past. Today's article comes from March 1, 2011, where Ryan Kennedy wrote about former Everett Silvertips defenceman, Ryan Murray.
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Blueline Ace On Tap In '12, Future Watch, March 1, 2011
Everett rearguard Ryan Murray doesn’t really do things under the radar. It’s not that the young blueliner is a braggart, it’s just impossible not to hear of his accomplishments.
If we’re just sticking to this season, first there was the Canadian national junior camp invite. The youngest player in attendance, Murray looked at home on the point during the final camp game against the Canadian university all-stars and the fact the 17-year-old was a late cut can’t be considered anything less than a tip of the hat from Hockey Canada. It’s as if the team architects were saying “see you next year, kid, we’ve got big plans for you.”
Once he returned to Everett, Murray hit the ground running, kicking off January with seven points in six games. When captain Landon Ferraro was felled by a sports hernia, Murray inherited the ‘C’ and became the youngest leader in franchise history.
“He’s been unbelievable since the first day I saw him,” said Everett coach Craig Hartsburg, who knows a little something about being an elite blueliner. “You forget how old he is. At 15, he was playing like an 18-or 19-year-old. He does everything right, he’s a total professional.”
Murray tallied 27 points in 52 games as a rookie in the Western League, mostly playing with Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Radko Gudas. But it was in the playoffs where the youngster really served notice. Both Gudas and fellow 19-year-old defenseman Chris de la Lande went down with injuries, leaving Murray to pick up the slack. The 16-year-old responded with seven points in seven games as the Tips took the physical Kelowna Rockets as far as possible before ultimately falling.
“He was one of our best players, not just our best defenseman,” Hartsburg said. “He probably played 30 to 35 minutes a game.”
For Murray, it was all in a day’s work.
“I got my chances and took advantage,” he said.
Much like he did later in the summer when he was bestowed the captaincy for Canada’s entry in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he helped the under-18s to a gold medal.
“It was a great opportunity and an honor to represent my country,” Murray said. “I thought it was a great experience.”
The reason Murray will be one to watch is because of his skill set. The White City, Sask., native models his game after Scott Niedermayer and in fact was even nominated as a future heir to the NHL great’s throne in a May 2010 issue of THN. The skating ability and judgment make him a tantalizing asset for any squad.
“He’s so poised and patient with the puck – and he can skate,” said one scout. “Real mature young man with great mobility, he’s offense minded and smart with the puck.”
At six-foot, 185 pounds, Murray already has a solid frame to him, but he would still like to get more physical out on the ice; battling in the corners and being strong on the puck are items he would like to work on in the future. But ironically, with a generation of kids growing up under the influence of savvy defenders such as Niedermayer and Nicklas Lidstrom, Murray has learned that brute strength doesn’t always have to be the answer.
“Using body position and keeping a good stick,” Murray said, “you don’t have to be able to crush guys.”
That maturity is one of the reasons why Murray is a candidate to go first overall in the 2012 NHL draft.
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