The Coachella Valley Firebirds have added another goaltender to the mix for 2026-27, announcing the signing of Connor Murphy.
Murphy, 28, arrives with three years of pro experience behind him. He entered the professional ranks as an undrafted free agent after a college career split between Northeastern University and Union College. His strongest college season came in his junior year, which was also his first at Union, when he posted a 14-18-3 record across 37 games with a .919 SV% and 2.66 GAA.
After college, Murphy signed a one-year AHL contract in the Calgary Flames organization. His first pro season was mostly spent in the ECHL with the Rapid City Rush, where he went 7-10-1 in 18 games with a .899 SV% and 3.43 GAA.
He was sharper in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers. In 15 games, Murphy put together a 4-4-3 record, a .922 SV%, and one shutout.
Since then, the workload has remained split between the two levels. The Flames eventually moved him to an NHL contract late in the 2024-25 season for depth, though he has still only appeared for the Wranglers and Rush.
Over his three seasons in the Flames organization, Murphy leaves with a 35-37-9 record in the ECHL, along with a .911 SV% and 3.24 GAA. In the AHL, he has an 8-8-4 mark in 26 games with a .910 SV% and 2.92 GAA. The Firebirds did not say whether the deal is a two-way contract, but Murphy is expected to fill a similar depth role in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Jamie Oleksiak's Final Kraken Season Looks Different Now
Jamie Oleksiak gave the Kraken a steady season on the blue line in 2025-26, handling a regular role on the bottom pairing while still finding ways to chip in at the other end. He appeared in 78 games, logged 15 points, and finished with a plus-9 rating, a solid return for a defenseman who spent most nights taking on a sheltered workload and averaging 16:56 of ice time.
What makes that year stand out now is how it ended. Oleksiak reached unrestricted free agency after the season, and Seattle has already seen him move on to Vancouver on a two-year deal, closing the book on a stretch that looked pretty different while he was still wearing a Kraken sweater. For a team that has leaned on its defense to set the tone, his departure leaves another spot to sort out on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
Seattles NHL Dream Nearly Started Long Before The Kraken
Long before the Kraken ever took the ice, Seattle had already spent years trying to join the NHL conversation. Archival reports from the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer show that the city was making a serious push in the mid-1970s, with local investors and city officials working to bring either an expansion club or a relocated franchise to town. There was enough optimism to produce meetings with league officials and real momentum around the idea.
The effort was shaped by attorney Vince Abbey, who helped drive the campaign, but the road was never simple. Lease restrictions at the Coliseum and pressure from the World Hockey Association complicated the pitch, and shifting personnel only added to the uncertainty. Seattles hockey dream was alive then, but it was never able to clear the final hurdles that might have put an NHL team here decades earlier. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Face An Early Test Seattle Might Not Ignore
Seattle hockey still has to fight for oxygen in a town crowded by the Seahawks, Mariners and the University of Washington football machine, and that makes the Krakens start feel more important than a normal opening month. The local landscape also includes other hockey options, which means the team has to give fans a reason to latch on early and keep them invested once the novelty wears off.
For a franchise still trying to settle its place in the market, the early schedule offers a chance to build some real momentum before attention gets pulled elsewhere. The bigger concern is that this is not just about wins and losses on the ice, but about whether the Kraken can exceed expectations enough to stay relevant in a city that has plenty of other teams asking for the same attention. [Read more 🡒]