Scouts and General Managers from all 30 NHL Teams flocked to Prospera Place in Kelowna British Columbia to witness the lowest scoring game in the 17 year history of the event - a 2-1 victory for Team Orr.
Tom Wilson of the Plymouth Whalers (Team Cherry) showed why he's one of the top power forwards available for the draft when on his first shift he threw two big hits on Gianluca Curcuruto of the Soo Greyhounds. He continued to throw the body all night and was sure to draw the attention of scouts. He had a pretty good bout with Dalton Thrower of the Saskatoon Blades in the second period.
As for Curcuruto, he played a solid, physical, defensive game. He showed flashes of his puck carrying abilities, going end to end in the second period. He took the body when he could without going out of his way looking for the hit. He was left almost defenseless on Team Cherry's only goal as Thrower went out of his way to make a hit and missed leaving a virtual 2 on 1. Dillon Fournier scored on the rebound.
Gemel Smith of the Owen Sound Attack (Team Cherry) was his typical self. Tenacious on the puck despite his size, he fought battles along the wall and usually came away with the puck. His speed was evident throughout the night especially on the backcheck where he broke up a couple of Team Orr rushes.
Belleville Bulls teammates Daniil Zharkov and Brendan Gaunce (Team Cherry) played on a line together and created a couple of chances. The best chance came halfway through the second right after teams switched goaltenders when Zharkov picked the puck up at center and went in on defenseman Matt Finn (Guelph Storm). He pulled the puck between his legs and went around Finn and put a shot on Francois Tremblay.
Adam Pelech of the Erie Otters (Team Orr) was almost unbeatable defensively. He took his opponents out of the play at every opportunity, was positionally sound and took away shooting and passing lanes. It's no wonder he's only a minus 4 on a team where you find a roster full of minus 20 and 30.
Matt Murray of the Soo Greyhounds (Team Cherry) was nothing short of spectacular in goal coming in halfway through the second. His best two saves back to back were when they were on the penalty kill and he made a big save on Scott Kosmachuk (Guelph Storm) and then on Raphael Bussieres, who along with Radek Faksa (Kitchener Rangers), were buzzing.
No one really hurt their value in the game. The Finn's, Faksa's and Laughton's and such played okay games but weren't their usual dominant players that they show they could be at times. They should all be proud of the way they played and rest assured, no one hurt their value.
The one thing we learned from this game, or at least confirmed: This is the year of the defenseman.
Showing posts with label Matthew Murray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew Murray. Show all posts
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
OHL News Radio - Matt Murray - Soo Greyhounds
OHL News - Radio Edition with host Terry Doyle features another 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect that will compete in the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Matt Murray of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds is the second ranked goaltender by NHL Central Scouting and will compete for Team Cherry in Kelowna.
Murray, a 17-year-old from Thunder Bay, ON, is playing in his second OHL season with the Hounds and has an 11-15-0-1 record with a 4.15 goals-against-average and 0.872 save percentage so far this season.
The Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will take place Wednesday February 1 and can be seen live at 10:00 pm Eastern on Sportsnet.
Listen here
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
3 Stars For Week Ending December 18, 2011
Here are your draft eligible 3 stars for the week ending December 18, 2011
1st Star - Chris Marchese - Windsor Spitfires : When Marchese was traded to the Spitfires early last week, we said in this blog that you could expect his point totals to increase and that he would be worth keeping an eye on. Well, those that vote did and Marchese came through. In 2 games for the Spitfires, Marchese notched 3 goals and 2 assists. The spitfires lost both games, the first 6-4 to Owen Sound where he notched a goal and added 2 assists, the other a 5-4 loss to Saginaw in which he scored twice. As we said before, he'll be worth keeping an eye on.
2nd Star - Gemel Smith - Owen Sound Attack : It isn't unfamiliar territory for Smith to be named one of our 3 stars. He's become an offensive weapon for the Attack and last week he provided 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games. He opened the week with a goal and an assist and a plus 4 in a 6-4 win over Windsor. He followed that up with the same tallies in a 3-1 loss to Sarnia. He went pointless in a 3-1 win over Kitchener but created numerous opportunities.
3rd Star - Matt Murray - Soo Greyhounds : Murray may come as a little bit of a surprise here, but you have to have had seen him play. The Soo started the week with a 3-1 win over Saginaw in which Murray stopped 33 of 34 shots. That was followed by a 3-2 Shoot out loss to Kitchener where he was absolutely spectacular stopping 46 of 48 shots to give the Greyhounds even a chance. The surprise of putting him here is they closed out the week with a 7-3 loss to Guelph. But through 2 periods he stopped 24 of 27 shots and was down 3-2 and again gave the Soo every chance. But penalty trouble in the 3rd was just too much and the Storm blew the game wide open, not to mention the last goal came with 3 seconds left.
Once again, to view previous week winners and a list of voters, click the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
1st Star - Chris Marchese - Windsor Spitfires : When Marchese was traded to the Spitfires early last week, we said in this blog that you could expect his point totals to increase and that he would be worth keeping an eye on. Well, those that vote did and Marchese came through. In 2 games for the Spitfires, Marchese notched 3 goals and 2 assists. The spitfires lost both games, the first 6-4 to Owen Sound where he notched a goal and added 2 assists, the other a 5-4 loss to Saginaw in which he scored twice. As we said before, he'll be worth keeping an eye on.
2nd Star - Gemel Smith - Owen Sound Attack : It isn't unfamiliar territory for Smith to be named one of our 3 stars. He's become an offensive weapon for the Attack and last week he provided 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games. He opened the week with a goal and an assist and a plus 4 in a 6-4 win over Windsor. He followed that up with the same tallies in a 3-1 loss to Sarnia. He went pointless in a 3-1 win over Kitchener but created numerous opportunities.
3rd Star - Matt Murray - Soo Greyhounds : Murray may come as a little bit of a surprise here, but you have to have had seen him play. The Soo started the week with a 3-1 win over Saginaw in which Murray stopped 33 of 34 shots. That was followed by a 3-2 Shoot out loss to Kitchener where he was absolutely spectacular stopping 46 of 48 shots to give the Greyhounds even a chance. The surprise of putting him here is they closed out the week with a 7-3 loss to Guelph. But through 2 periods he stopped 24 of 27 shots and was down 3-2 and again gave the Soo every chance. But penalty trouble in the 3rd was just too much and the Storm blew the game wide open, not to mention the last goal came with 3 seconds left.
Once again, to view previous week winners and a list of voters, click the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
2012 Draft Could Be About Defense
Every year, a player jumps out of nowhere to climb up NHL draft charts, or at least higher than expected. Think Mark Scheifele in 2011. Or Jeff Skinner in 2010.
In 2012, you could be looking at a defenseman to make that jump. Or Quite possibly a goaltender. The OHL hasn't produced a high profile goaltender in the last few years, at least in his draft year. Malcolm Subban (Belleville) and Daniel Altshuller (Oshawa) were the early favorites coming into the season but Matt Murray (Soo Greyhounds) has opened a lot of eyes through the first few weeks of the season.
While Subban has struggled and even given up starts, Altshuller has come as advertised and then some. But Murray has exceeded even his highest expectations.
But the biggest surprise could come from the defense. It is quite possible that we will see half a dozen defensemen taken in the first round, and that is from the OHL alone. Early favorites Nick Ebert (Windsor), Cody Ceci (Ottawa) and Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough) should be there.
It's the next tier where it gets interesting. Olli Maatta is starting to find his groove in London. Jesse Graham is struggling right now in Niagara but should rebound. Alex Gudbranson is in a tough situation in Kingston, where many expect them to finish last.
On the rise is Dylan Blujus who currently leads all defensemen in goals with 4 in 6 games. Matt Finn who is as pleasant a surprise as his Brampton Battalion, is tied for points with Ceci among first time draft eligible defensemen with 8 in 7 games.
One thing is for certain, NHL scouts will have their eyes full with these kids.
In 2012, you could be looking at a defenseman to make that jump. Or Quite possibly a goaltender. The OHL hasn't produced a high profile goaltender in the last few years, at least in his draft year. Malcolm Subban (Belleville) and Daniel Altshuller (Oshawa) were the early favorites coming into the season but Matt Murray (Soo Greyhounds) has opened a lot of eyes through the first few weeks of the season.
While Subban has struggled and even given up starts, Altshuller has come as advertised and then some. But Murray has exceeded even his highest expectations.
But the biggest surprise could come from the defense. It is quite possible that we will see half a dozen defensemen taken in the first round, and that is from the OHL alone. Early favorites Nick Ebert (Windsor), Cody Ceci (Ottawa) and Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough) should be there.
It's the next tier where it gets interesting. Olli Maatta is starting to find his groove in London. Jesse Graham is struggling right now in Niagara but should rebound. Alex Gudbranson is in a tough situation in Kingston, where many expect them to finish last.
On the rise is Dylan Blujus who currently leads all defensemen in goals with 4 in 6 games. Matt Finn who is as pleasant a surprise as his Brampton Battalion, is tied for points with Ceci among first time draft eligible defensemen with 8 in 7 games.
One thing is for certain, NHL scouts will have their eyes full with these kids.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
3 Stars For Week Ending October 2, 2011
It's time for our first installment of 2012 Draft eligible players from the OHL for the week ending October 2, 2011.
First Star - Matt Murray - Soo Greyhounds. Murray led his Greyhounds to a 6-1 victory over Windsor and a 3-2 victory over Kitchener. In the two starts, Murray had a .938 Save percentage and a 1.50 Goals against average and leads all draft eligible goaltenders in those categories.
Second Star - Jarrod Maidens - Owen Sound. Despite his Owen Sound Attack going 1-2 in three games last week, Maidens was the offensive force after their 2-1 shoot out victory over Barrie. maidens went on to be involved in 5 of the Attacks next 6 goals scoring 4 times and adding 1 assist.
Third Star - Nail Yakupov - Sarnia. Sarnia suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to Brampton and followed that up with a 7-2 victory over Sudbury in which Yakupov scored twice and added 4 assists to earn our 3rd star of the week.
Honorable mentions : Cody Ceci, Ryan Rupert.
To view the winners all season long, and to see the list of people who voted on our 3 stars, click the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
First Star - Matt Murray - Soo Greyhounds. Murray led his Greyhounds to a 6-1 victory over Windsor and a 3-2 victory over Kitchener. In the two starts, Murray had a .938 Save percentage and a 1.50 Goals against average and leads all draft eligible goaltenders in those categories.
Second Star - Jarrod Maidens - Owen Sound. Despite his Owen Sound Attack going 1-2 in three games last week, Maidens was the offensive force after their 2-1 shoot out victory over Barrie. maidens went on to be involved in 5 of the Attacks next 6 goals scoring 4 times and adding 1 assist.
Third Star - Nail Yakupov - Sarnia. Sarnia suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to Brampton and followed that up with a 7-2 victory over Sudbury in which Yakupov scored twice and added 4 assists to earn our 3rd star of the week.
Honorable mentions : Cody Ceci, Ryan Rupert.
To view the winners all season long, and to see the list of people who voted on our 3 stars, click the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Matthew Murray
6'4" - 160 LBS
D.O.B. May 35, 1994
The former second round pick of the Soo Greyhounds enters his second season with the team after appearing in 28 games in 2010-2011 and posting an 8-11-3 record with a 3.79 goals against average and a .887 save percentage.
In 2009-2010, Murray played Minor Midget AAA for his hometown Thunder Bay Kings, appearing in 40 games and posting a remarkable 32-5-6 record and a sparkling 1.71 goals against average and 5 shut outs. His play led him to be the second goaltender chosen, 35th overall, in the 2010 OHL Priority Draft.
In June, Murray was one of 16 goaltenders selected to join Hockey Canada's goaltending camp and was one of only 6 under 18, joining Daniel Altshuller from the OHL.
Technically, he plays a sound butterfly style. He has very good size and uses it to cover as much of the net as he can. He's an above average skater with excellent lateral movement. He's quick to come out and challenge shooters and to recover. He possesses good reflexes. His strongest suit is his calmness and mental toughness. He rarely gets rattled under pressure and he rebounds and moves on quickly on the rare occasion that he lets in a soft goal.
Ranked number 3 in goal in my preseason rankings, he'll be in tough to surpass Altshuller or Malcolm Subban, but make no mistake about it, he has the ability to do so and if anyone is going to break into that top two, Murray has the best chance. He'll carry the Greyhounds this season and watching his progression will be one of the best story lines in the OHL this season.
Photo from armchairsportscards.com
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