by Warren Rappleyea
Like many of his Junior Senators teammates, Wil Murphy joined the squad just in time for a season that never was thanks to the pandemic. Together they persevered. Murphy played a key role in Ottawa’s Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) regular season and Yzerman Division titles and he’s poised to do more now that the playoffs have arrived.
“Individually and as a team we went through a lot last year, but we were with each other all of the time,” the lefty-shooting defenseman said. “The closeness had paid off this year and you see it on the ice.”
The Junior Sens started strong and—except for a three-game losing streak—maintained the pace throughout the season as they piled up 90 points in 55 games.
Murphy was a factor at both ends of the ice as new coach Kyle Makaric used the youngster in just about every situation, including power plays and penalty killing. The Gananoque, Ontario native showed speed, poise, confidence, and strong positional play in his own zone—helping Ottawa surrender the second fewest goals in the CCHL.
Murphy’s natural passing skills often keyed the transition game. The 6-0, 202-pound blueliner produced 19 assists during the campaign and contributed five goals, several of them timely tallies. He scored game-winners against both the Renfrew Wolves and the Cornwall Colts and posted a goal and two assists in a victory over the Navan Grads.
“I kind of like to let my play speak for itself,” Murphy explained. “I let some of the other guys speak up. I try to set an example and be a quiet leader who does the right things by just playing my game. I think my best skill is my skating.”
Murphy developed his skills through the youth programs in Kingston, with encouragement from his dad, Lanny. During this time, he also developed his athletic skills by playing football and rugby. He eventually moved on to the Greater Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, scoring 11 goals and 18 assists in his final season at the U18 level.
His play was noticed by the Junior Senators, who began following the youngster’s play. Murphy, however, was unaware until his phone rang one afternoon.
“This was right after the pandemic hit and I was home training,” Murphy recalled. “I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize, and I answered it. It was [Junior Sens GM/Coach] Martin Dagenais and he wanted to talk about me coming to Ottawa. I didn’t know anything about the Junior Senators.
Murphy was certainly glad he answered. He quickly did some research and liked what he discovered.
“After looking at what they did, winning the past two league championships, and just the history of all the guys they have had, I knew this was a team I wanted to play for,” he said
A few days later he called Dagenais back and after a conversation with Murphy and his parents the deal was finalized.
Despite the travails of the 2020-21 season, Murphy quickly adjusted to his new league and neither he nor the Junior Sens have looked back.
