Just how high will Ryan Murray rise?
And could he conceivably rise all the way to the top?
Tonight, the Everett Silvertips captain seems certain to become the highest Everett player ever selected in the NHL draft when the first round of this year’s affair commences in Pittsburgh. And with no consensus about who will be selected No. 1, there’s still the possibility that Murray’s could be the first name called.
“It’s pretty cool, I guess,” was Everett’s defensive star’s understated response to the possibility of going first overall. “It would be a pretty cool thing to happen. But I’m keeping my mind open to everything, I’m not getting my hopes up.”
Murray is one of two Silvertips expected to be selected in the 2012 draft. Defenseman Nick Walters is projected to be picked sometime Saturday, when rounds two through seven take place.
A consensus has arisen that Murray, an 18-year-old from White City, Saskatchewan, who had nine goals and 22 assists in 46 games last season, will be among the top-five picks in the draft. That would make him the highest pick in Everett’ nine-year history.
The current record is held jointly by centers Peter Mueller and Zach Hamill, who were picked eighth overall by Phoenix in 2006 and Boston in 2007, respectively. Murray will be the fifth Silvertip to be selected in the first round.
“Anticipating Ryan could go No. 1 brings a lot of pride to the organization,” said Everett assistant general manager Zoran Rajcic, one of the few members of the organization who’s been around since the beginning.
“It could be a defining moment for the Everett Silvertips. Whenever he goes, we’ll be proud. But if he went No. 1 overall it would set a benchmark for the future.”
Further reinforcing Murray’s lofty status is the fact he was one of five players chosen to take part in official pre-draft activities. Those activities included participating in clinics, media shoots and taking batting practice with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The other four players were American defenseman Jacob Trouba and Russian forwards Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk and Mikhail Grigorenko.
“I’ve heard (Murray could go) anywhere from one to three,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said. “But I’ve also heard lots of speculation about trades. Teams could be trading down or up, so I don’t have a real sense of what could happen.”
The drama centers around the Edmonton Oilers, who hold the first-overall pick. Yakupov, who played for Sarina of the Ontario Hockey League last season, is considered the top talent. However, Yakupov’s edge on the field is thought to be small, and the Oilers selected forwards Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the first-overall picks in the past two drafts. The theory is Edmonton would rather pick a defenseman to complement Hall and Nugent-Hopkins.
Further fueling the speculation was Murray’s selection to play for Canada at the Men’s World Championships in May. Murray certainly didn’t hurt his stock in showing he could at least hold his own against men. Conspiracy theorists also will point out that the man who selected Murray for the team, Hockey Canada general manager Kevin Lowe, also happens to be the president of the Oilers.
One of Edmonton’s options would be to trade down and hope Murray is available later. But rumors emerged that Columbus, which holds the second-overall pick, covets Murray. Therefore, if the Oilers truly have their sights set on Murray, they may have to pull the trigger at No. 1.
There are, however, arguments against picking Murray first overall. Historically, defensemen picked first overall have paid off far less often than forwards taken first overall. In the previous 20 drafts, five defensemen were taken first overall — Roman Hamrlik in 1992, Ed Jovanovski in 1994, Bryan Berard in 1995, Chris Phillips in 1996 and Erik Johnson in 2006. None became Norris Trophy candidates. Also, Murray is thought to be a safe pick, a player who is certain to have a long and successful professional career, but perhaps not have the ceiling of a superstar.
The Tips would disagree with those arguments.
“From our perspective, we know how good Ryan is and will continue to be,” Rajcic said. “We may be a little biased, but he’s a great person and a great hockey player. We couldn’t ask for a better representative to be our highest-ever draft pick, he’s handled himself so well here. We hope he goes No. 1, but knowing Ryan, he just wants a chance to play at the next level. Any team that picks him is getting a great person, and he’s well on his way to a pro career.”
Because Murray will be picked so high, and because Murray has a late 1993 birthdate and therefore already has played three years in the WHL, it’s almost certain he will jump straight to the NHL next season rather than return to Everett for his 19-year-old season.
The best chance of Murray returning to the Tips lies in potential NHL labor strife. The collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players expires in September, and speculation is rampant about a possible lockout.
As for Walters, he will have to wait one more day to learn his fate. The St. Albert, Alberta, native, who had six goals, 12 assists and 95 penalty minutes in 62 games last season, was ranked 67th among North American skaters by Central Scouting, projecting him somewhere in the mid-rounds.
“I’m trying not to think about it too much,” said Walters, who decided not to attend the draft and instead will spend Saturday at home with his family. “I’m going to sleep in that day, maybe go to breakfast with my family, then wait for the phone call.”
Two other players whose rights were acquired by Everett in May, but who are committed to NCAA schools, are expected to be drafted.
Winger Jujhar Khaira, acquired from Prince George during the bantam draft and committed to Michigan Tech, was ranked 74th among North American skaters. Davidson said he hopes to meet with Khaira and his family following the draft. Defenseman Reece Willcox, acquired from Portland in the Seth Jones trade and committed to Cornell, was ranked 90th among North American skaters. However, Davidson said Willcox’s commitment to Cornell remains strong.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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