The Edmonton Oilers have made NHL history by inviting three rising women’s hockey players to their upcoming development camp, and Abbey Murphy is the name that jumps off the page.
Murphy, along with forwards Caitlin Kraemer and defender Chloe Primerano, will be in camp when it opens. They’ll join a group that also includes picks such as Rudolfs Berzkalns, giving the three players a real shot to show Oilers management and coaches what they can do.
Murphy’s resume is the one that suggests she could make the strongest impression. The second overall pick in the Professional Women’s Hockey League draft, she was an offensive force at the University of Minnesota and topped out at 40 goals in her final season with the Golden Gophers.
She’s also already built up significant international experience for someone her age. At the 2026 Olympics, where she helped win gold, she produced at a point-per-game pace in that best-on-best tournament.
Her rise has been steady. At her first Olympics, she had just one point, though in a more limited role.
Her numbers at Minnesota climbed year by year, and so did her maturity, with her declining penalty minutes pointing to that growth. She’s only 24 as of this April, but she already looks like a player with a bright future no matter which pro league she ends up in.
The challenge, of course, is the NHL itself. At 5-foot-5, Murphy would have to deal with the physical demands of men’s hockey, and that’s where the conversation gets complicated. Players like Hailey Wickenheiser, Marie Philippe Poulin, and Hillary Knight had the skill and drive to play in the NHL, but their likely roles would have been more about depth and support than the top-line scoring roles they held in women’s hockey.
Even so, Murphy and the other two invitees might be among the most talented players at the camp. That makes the whole thing a meaningful chance for them, a positive headline for the Oilers, and a useful showcase for the PWHL too.
And after an offseason full of coaching firings and hirings, Edmonton could use the lift. If a young girl in the city sees these players on the ice and decides to pick up a pair of skates, then the whole exercise will have done its job.
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