Different paths
Three P.E.I. natives have cracked major junior rosters off-Island for the upcoming season
Logan Kelly-Murphy felt he had something to prove.
After going undrafted twice in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the 18-year-old received an invitation earlier this summer to the Cape Breton Eagles’ camp from Charlottetown’s Jonathan Murphy, the team’s head scout for the Maritimes.
“I was just ecstatic to be asked to go and try out after being passed up in the draft,” KellyMurphy said.
But he wasn’t satisfied with just attending the camp — he wanted to earn a spot. Mission accomplished. Kelly-Murphy is one of three P.E.I. rookies who have made opening night rosters with off-Island QMJHL teams this summer.
“It’s a great feeling,” the 18-year-old China Point native said. “It’s awesome, knowing that all the hard work paid off.”
The defence-first blue-liner, who can chip in offensively, said he didn’t concede defeat despite being passed by twice in the major junior draft.
“It’s not over until I give up,” he said. “You can always be invited out as an 18-year-old.”
He didn’t have far to look for an example.
Kelly-Murphy was teammates with Cornwall’s Jordan Spence in 2016-17 with the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride (now the Knights). Spence went through the QMJHL draft in his first year of eligibility before a breakout season with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League the following year. Scouts took notice and Spence was drafted by the Moncton Wildcats.
A strong rookie season in the QMJHL led to Spence being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round of the NHL draft in June.
“That’s a very impressive thing to do,” said Kelly-Murphy. “It showed, in your first year, (if) you don't get taken in the draft, you keep working hard and good things will happen.”
He went to Campbellton, N.B., last season and played for the Tigers, who made the junior A final before losing to the Yarmouth Mariners.
Playing against older players helped him be ready for major junior camp this summer.
With a spot on the roster for opening night, don’t expect Kelly-Murphy to stray far from the style that earned it for him.
“I have to work hard and earn all my minutes,” he said.
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Jacob Squires found out a few days ago he was starting the season with the Memorial Cup champs after a meeting with head coach Mario Pouliot and assistant coach Brad Yetman, a former P.E.I. Rocket in charge of the defencemen in Rouyn-Noranda.
“I’m really excited,” Squires said. “It’s going to be an adjustment period for me, but I think I am heading in the right direction. They have a great staff here. Mario is obviously a top-end coach,” he added. “Brad, an assistant coach, is new and eager to learn, too. I have been working with him a lot.”
Squires was one of the top prospects in Prince Edward Island last season, patrolling the blue-line for the Pride.
The Huskies used their first pick, a third-round selection (39th overall), to draft Squires.
He entered camp with an open mind and said he is settling into his new surroundings.
He is the lone 16-year-old to make the Huskies’ roster on the back end. He joins veterans Justin Bergeron, Alexis Arsenault, Samuel Regis and Ryan MacLellan who were part of last year’s championship squad.
Rouyn-Noranda is as far away from home as Squires could be while playing in the QMJHL at about 18 hours of driving. Rouyn-Noranda is about a half an hour from the Ontario border.
It’s no big deal for Squires, who said you have to do what you need to do in order to achieve your goals.
“It’s a perfect fit for me,” he said. “Just being here and being in this environment. I love it here.”
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Jack Campbell wasn’t sure what to expect heading into his first major junior experience.
But two hallmarks of his game, skill and hard work, quickly became apparent to the Drummondville Voltigeurs’ coaching staff.
Campbell was considering the NCAA option at the beginning of camp, but the Volts staff had a meeting with the young forward and his parents to discuss him signing with the squad.
“I wasn’t really sure at the start if I was going to make it. I just came into camp trying my hardest,” Campbell said. “I decided Drummondville is a great place, it has a great staff, great guys, so I thought it was the place for me.”
He called his three younger siblings after deciding to stay in the Quebec city, located about 90 minutes from Montreal. While he will miss his family, Campbell said he really enjoys his billet family.
“They are always there for my needs. It’s just like home now.”
Drummondville’s decision to keep the youngster for the season didn’t change Campbell’s approach.
“I just kept trying to work my hardest to show I deserved to be there.”
Campbell has enjoyed camp but acknowledged the difference of playing against older, stronger and faster players.
“It was a really fast-paced camp,” he said. “The hockey is amazing. It’s a big step from midget, for sure, so it took a little bit to get used to it.”
Campbell was the sixth player the Voltigeurs selected in June’s draft, going in the sixth round (99th overall).
“I just think of the draft as a ticket to camp,” said Campbell. “It doesn’t matter where you go. As long as you work hard after, anything can happen.”
The five-foot-seven, 162-pound Campbell, who can play all three forward positions, has heard the size questions in the past. He doesn’t shy away from them.
“I know I am probably one of the smaller guys around, but I just like to play my game,” he said, noting that he is a skilled forward who plays aggressively and is not afraid of the rough stuff.
“I don’t really think height matters too much to me.”