EVERETT — Jameson Murray was on the Saskatchewan prairie with his Calgary Hitmen teammates preparing for a game at Moose Jaw when he got the news on Jan. 9.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound defenseman was no longer a member of the Hitmen. He was headed 1,000 miles southwest to Everett, where he is now a member of the Silvertips.
Murray first had to fly back to Calgary. He then retrieved his belongings from his former billet family, packed up his car and drove the 370 miles to his hometown of Kelowna.
Then he had to deal with the sometimes-treacherous Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia before finally arriving in Everett last Sunday in time to ride with general manager Garry Davidson to Portland for a game that night against the Winterhawks.
“The last week was crazy busy,” Murray said. “Lots of traveling, lots of driving. It’s been tiring, but now I’ve settled in and got to know the guys it’s going good so far.”
Winger Bronson Sharp was four hours south with U.S. Division rival Portland when he heard he was now a Silvertip. His first game with his new team came against his former team last Sunday when the Tips beat the Winterhawks 4-3 in a shootout.
“It’s been kind of crazy, moving into a new billet house, with a new team I’ve always played against — and a big rival,” Sharp said. “It’s different but I really like it so far.”
Murray and Sharp joined Spencer Gerth as Everett’s final three pickups in a busy trade deadline week for Davidson that also saw the team acquire immediate impact players in forward Garrett Pilon and defenseman Ondrej Vala.
Murray, Sharp and Gerth were added to flush out Everett’s depth at key positions. What exact role each will play during the remainder of the season has yet to be determined.
In many ways it’s up to them.
“The ice time is there for them,” head coach Dennis Williams said. “I’m not sure yet where they fall. They’re going to have to prove to us night-in and night-out just like all the guys. When we get into the second half, ice time becomes a premium. But it’s result-driven. And result-driven isn’t just goals, it isn’t just assists. It’s tracking on pucks, stopping on pucks, blocking shots, getting hard to the net and being on penalty kill.”
The newcomers give Everett a 25-man roster that allows for some breathing room as illnesses and injuries occur.
Now there’s increased competition in practice.
“That’s what you want,” Williams said. “This time of year you want the competition, you want guys to push each other and that way when it gets to game time we’ve practiced hard all week to get ready for these games.”
Murray gives Everett eight defensemen on the roster. Gianni Fairbrother remains out three-to-five weeks with an upper-body injury, but the plan appears to be to go with eight blueliners the remainder of the season.
Everett’s depth on defense has been tested in previous postseasons when it generally went with seven blueliners. Two years ago, both Fairbrother and Wyatte Wylie debuted in Everett’s second-round playoff series loss to Seattle when injuries caused their blue-line depth to dwindle.
That’s something the organization hopes to avoid this year.
Murray had a goal and five assists with the Hitmen this season, and two goals and seven assists in 63 career WHL games. Because he played in the Central Division, Murray faced Everett just twice in his WHL career.
“The fans here are insane — probably the best fans ever,” Murray said of Everett. “(The Tips) were a skillful, speedy team to play against.”
On the other hand, Sharp played against Everett many times. The 6-foot, 175-pounder from Mission, B.C., had two goals and an assist in 38 games with the Winterhawks this season. He has two goals and three assists in 85 career games.
“I like to use my speed and my intensity and bring lots of energy out there,” Sharp said. “We like to play fast so I’m glad I’m on a fast team (now), too.”
That could come in handy for the Tips down the stretch.
“Every day you come on the ice looking to get better,” Williams said. “When we sit down as a staff, I tell them we go through the attributes of what each player brings to the lineup and what they’re bringing and how they’re playing the past week and the coming week of practice.
“Every day is a tryout for more ice time.”
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter
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