Abbey Murphy from the University of Minnesota is the consensus first-overall pick in the 2025 PWHL draft and she showed why against tournament host Czechia on Friday night. Before a sell-out crowd of 5,859 at Budvar Arena, Murphy scored the USA’s first two goals in a 4-0 win.
After the game, Murphy praised the crowd and the Czechs, calling it a great game. “Our leaders led and helped us.”
The Americans held a wide edge in play in the first period, outshooting the Czechs 11-2 but the only goal was on an armor-piercing shot by Murphy just as a Czech penalty was expiring.
“The first power-play (unit), honestly, they set the tone for us, set the pace,” Murphy described. “They changed at a good time and just kind of handed it off to us in a good spot, so … just trying to get pucks on net any way that we can and it worked out. We scored eventually and it just kind of started to fall from there.”
Abbey Murphy Walks A Fine Line, Balancing Skill And Her Trademark EdgeAbbey Murphy of the University of Minnesota and Team USA is a mix of high end skill, edgy physicality that sometimes crosses the line. How she balances those traits will become the measure of her women's hockey career success.
The game with the Czechs got pretty physical at times, which Murphy didn’t seem to mind despite her smaller stature. Now she, like everyone else, is anticipating a game on Sunday against Canada where the on-ice temperature might get turned up even more.
“Yeah, you’re fighting for something, you know?” Murphy responded. “It’s a part of hockey. It’s competitive and everybody’s playing for something. We’re here for one thing.”
“Yeah, I haven’t made any decisions quite yet,” she said. “I know it’s coming up close and we’ll make a decision quite soon, so we’ll see.”
Having already exhausted her NCAA eligibility, it raises the question where Murphy would plan to play if she chose not to enter the PWHL draft.
Murphy smiled and reiterated, “I don’t really know. There’s a few options, so we’ll see.”
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She’s been Canada’s starting goalie for the last few years, but
when Ann-Renée Desbiens suffered a
lower-body injury in a PWHL game on March 18, her status was unclear
heading into this year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship, with
the door possibly opening for 27-year-old Kristen Campbell or
21-year-old Eve Gascon to audition for the job.
