Ladies and gentlemen, our long national nightmare is over. The Northeastern Huskies have finally secured a commitment from a goaltender, filling the void that will be made upon Ryan Ruck’s graduation this spring as 1998 birth year goaltender Connor Murphy has answered the call to play college hockey in Matthews Arena. Murphy is currently playing for the Charleton Place Canadiens in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). Charleton Place was the junior team of Husky defenseman and Hockey East champion Dustin Darou, and former forward Dalen Hedges also played in the CCHL before arriving at Northeastern.
Commitment Alert 🚨 @CPCANADIANS G Connor Murphy has committed to @GoNUmhockey for 2019-20.
📷 https://t.co/ijdDBvZ7QI
Graphic: Mark KellyMore | https://t.co/pAXIWPsmN7 pic.twitter.com/uetJLRe8eK
— Central Canada Hockey League (@TheCCHL) December 5, 2018
Murphy is a 6-foot-4 goaltender who will turn 21 as he arrives on campus next September, and he is playing his first year in the CCHL, after spending previous seasons in the North American Hockey League, the United States Premier Hockey League, and the National Collegiate Development Conference. This season, he has already played 24 games, and has compiled a .916 save percentage, a 2.09 goals-against average, and two shutouts. His GAA is second-best in the league, his save percentage is 6th-best, and his two shutouts are tied for second-best as well. He’s also third in the league in wins with 16.
Neutral Zone pegged Murphy as their top rated goalie at the 2018 CCHL showcase in October. He stopped 79 of 82 shots (.963) and earned an “A” rating from their scouts for his performance, the only goaltender to do so.
Per the official release on the league website, he recently helped the CCHL Robinson Division capture the 2018 Eastern Canada Cup in Trenton, ON. In the event he went 2-1-0 with a 1.67 GAA, .924 SV% and picked up a shutout in the Championship Game against Quebec.
In 2017, Murphy was drafted in the 7th round of the Phase II USHL Draft by Cedar Rapids, but was cut before the season started. He also has previously attended Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Development Camp.
Murphy will enroll in Fall 2019 and projects to get game time from the outset, but of course star goaltender Cayden Primeau will be leading the way if/when he returns for his junior season.
Congratulations to Connor and welcome to the Huskies!