Kraken’s Cory Murphy values in-person contact with the defenseman prospects he mentors and is always happy to put in extra video sessions on Zoom to grow their NHL potential
When prospect Tyson Jugnauth was asked about his wow-factor jump in points this season with Western Hockey League Portland, a major reason why the Seattle 2022 fourth-round draft choice won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy for WHL Defenseman of the Year this spring, the 21-year-old didn’t take long to call out Kraken player development consultant Cory Murphy.
“Confidence-wise, I got a ton of opportunity with our D-corps being less veteran than last year with more time on the first power play,” said Jugnauth. “I’ve got to grow all the areas of my game. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Cory Murphy with Seattle as well. He helped me a ton throughout the year.” Murphy, no surprise to his Kraken colleagues, is quick to say that “so much credit” should be directed at Jugnauth, who started the 2023-24 season with NCAA Division I Wisconsin before deciding to return to the WHL. “Juggy made a big decision to leave school and work on all parts of his game on- and off-the-ice,” said Murphy, who appeared in 91 NHL games over three seasons (Florida, Tampa Bay, New Jersey) plus starred in European pro leagues for 14 seasons, six before his NHL years and eight after. “It wasn’t easy for him, but it proved to be a worthwhile decision. It’s been a two-year project from his work on the ice and gaining strength in the training room.”
Connecting Via Zoom Videos, In-Person Visits
Murphy looks to connect weekly with each of his group of young defensemen during the season, working in-depth on growing their games while also overseeing all Kraken prospects in the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and eastern NCAA competition (he reviews all of their games each morning of the season). For his part, Jugnauth was proactive about more frequent conversations because “he loves getting other eyes on his play,” said Murphy. Those remote sessions include numerous film reviews of both commendable plays and clips that offer room for improvement.
For Jugnauth and Murphy, they focused on “getting back on pucks, especially on bigger opponents” to cleanly retrieve the puck and transition it out of the defensive zone. With every prospect, Murphy and his player development colleagues aim to serve as mentors and teachers, supporting each player in understanding what is required at the NHL level and helping them build the necessary skills.
What’s more, Murphy traveled to Portland “quite a bit” from his home base in Ottawa. He highly values getting to see the developing D-men in person, whether it’s intercontinental travel to see Jugnauth, a 500-mile trip east to see 2024 third-round pick Alexis Benier in the Quebec Maritmes Junior Hockey League, or a short hop to spend time with 2024 seventh-round pick Jakub Fibigr in the Ontario Hockey League. “Seeing them in person is huge,” said Murphy. “It gives us a chance to get into their home city, what they are going through, both on- and off-the-ice.”
Transitioning from Player to Coach, from Europe to North America
As a player, Murphy logged his 17 pro hockey seasons after a stellar four-year NCAA career with Colgate. Midway through the 2017-18 season in Sweden’s top pro league, Murphy said he “made the decision to retire, I had just turned 40.” He wanted to stay in the sport, and it turned out he was offered a role as a skills development coach and assistant coach for the Rogle BK franchise in Sweden. The skills work was a natural fit for Murphy, who was a technically sound player and readily took on the teacher role. The work behind the bench? “I was an absolutely new coach,” said Murphy, laughing gently, “I fell back on my player experiences.” Murphy stayed in Sweden with his wife, Natalie, and their young family for three seasons before the Kraken player development consultant joined the coaching staff with HIFK Helsinki, for which he has enjoyed his best season as a Liiga player in Finland (13 goals, 37 assists for 50 points in 45 games). After five years in Finland, Cory and Natalie decided to move back to Canada because, as their three children grew older, especially their 17-year-old son, they might not want to leave Europe. When Jeff Tambellini, Kraken director of player development, and Frans Nielsen, the team’s European-based player development consultant, were in Finland to check in on 2022 draft choices, forward Jani Nyman, and goaltender Nikke Kokko, the three men connected and discussed the open role to mentor Kraken defense prospects. Soon enough, the Murphys were headed back to North America.
“I went through a year-long process to find the right person to develop our defense prospects,” said Tambellini this week. “At the end of it, Cory was the right person for the job. His resume spoke for itself in terms of playing credentials and coaching experience. He’s an excellent communicator and can build strong relationships. He’s been an outstanding hire for the Kraken.”
