The Red Wings drafted big defenseman Will Murphy with the 172nd overall pick in this past weekend’s NHL Draft in Los Angeles. On Saturday, the 6’4,” 209-pound Cape Breton Eagles d-man spoke with the Charlottetown Guardian’s Jason Simmonds about being drafted:
“It’s a pretty cool, pretty surreal feeling – like a dream come true,” Murphy told The Guardian in a phone interview the evening of June 28. “I mean it doesn’t happen for too many kids, so it’s unique and a cool feeling, especially to experience it all with all my family and friends around… It is really a fun day – once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity). It’s pretty awesome.”
Murphy, who played the 2024-25 season as a rookie with the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), watched the draft at his family home in Miscouche, P.E.I.
When the Red Wings called Murphy’s name, the six-foot-four, 211-pound, 17-year-old defenceman immediately hugged his parents, Ben and Amanda Murphy.
Also in attendance were Murphy’s younger brother, Drew; grandparents, Mike and Barbie Murphy and Dolly Silk; his billets with the Eagles, Ryan and Jennifer MacPherson, along with their two young children, Boyd and Ella.
Continued; Murphy will take part in this week’s Summer Development Camp in Detroit, and he told Simmonds that he’s very happy to have been drafted by the Red Wings:
“They’re definitely one of the teams that seemed interested in me,” said Murphy, who had two goals and four points in 54 regular-season games while playing a defensive-first game with the Eagles. “I’m really pleased with it. It’s pretty close to (P.E.I.)… It’s a great organization and I couldn’t be happier with it.”
