MEET YOUR MOOSE – MATT MURPHY
This week we check in with one of the cornerstones of the Mooseheads blueline,
Matt Murphy. The 19-year-old was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick and is the youngest of three children in the family. Murphy has a 20-year-old sister and a 22-year-old brother. Matt says it’s a hectic time for the family right now, as his parents along with dog Sam, have moved closer to his father’s workplace.
“My dad works for an engineering company and trucking company in Woodstock and they’ve actually just moved there, so we’re all still kind of in the transition phase right now,” said Murphy, who has recently started a part-time job.
“I’m working at hockey schools at UNB and St Thomas University and I’m trying to get another job at a local hockey store.”
He says other than training and working he’s been trying to catch up with his friends as much as possible during the summer break.
“I like to go swimming with my buddies or play some ball hockey, basically hang out in the sun.”
Murphy is a proud product of the Fredericton Youth Hockey Association, where he played Atom, Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget AAA. He credits his dad and coach Kevin Pottle with helping him become the player he is today.
“As far as coaching goes I’d say Mr. Pottle was a great influence when I played for him in Midget, it was a big year for me going into my draft year in the Q, but of course my dad was always there for me throughout the whole thing,” he said, adding his father would often build backyard rinks when he was younger, so he and his siblings could practice whenever they felt like it.
Murphy admits it’s been a long time since he played anything other than Defense.
“I played some forward in my first few years, but then made the transition to defense in my second year of Pee Wee.”
Matt was drafted 5th overall by Val d’Or in the star studded 2011 Entry Draft, that also included Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Zach Fucale. He played with the Foreurs for one and a half seasons, before being dealt to Halifax in January 2013.
“My dad called me actually, it was kind of building all week because I had been hearing a bunch of different rumours, but when I finally heard the news that I was coming to Halifax I was ecstatic,” he said.
“I mean (Halifax) had such a great team that year and it’s a wonderful organization, so it was all a little surreal for me it was just so exciting.”
The blueliner would prove to be a key cog for the Mooseheads, as they went on to win the Memorial Cup later that spring.
“It was such a fun ride, we had a great group of guys, the coaching staff and everything we just all came together, it’s almost too hard to put into words what it means to finally win the Memorial Cup.”
Murphy is pleased with the performance of the team this past season after the Herd made it all the way to Game 7 of the Semi-Finals against Val d’Or.
“You know I think we exceeded some expectations, but it was still very tough to lose that way because we all fought so hard and I thought the way were going we had a chance to go all the way, but that’s the game of hockey I guess.”
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