Roster hopeful Ty Murchison has already caught the eye of the Flyers’ brass with a strong rookie camp
The 2021 fifth-round pick is someone the organization values highly due to his size and smooth skating. But can he beat out David Jiříček or Oliver Bonk for one of the team's final spots?
Ty Murchison’s 2025-26 season ended in January with a shoulder injury he suffered in the middle of a scrum while playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
On Saturday, after seven months out, he jumped right back into the fray, ending the Flyers’ Rookie Series game by dropping the gloves with 6-foot-7 New York Rangers prospect Dylan Roobroeck.
“The fight at the end was great for my mindset, personally,” the 6-2, 212-pound Murchison said. “That’s how I got hurt last time, so to be able to get one out of the way early, especially against a 6-foot-7 guy, and know that my shoulder felt good and felt ready, it was a great way to start.”
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Murchison, 23, made an impressive NHL debut last season, playing in three December games and averaging 15minutes a night and impressing coach Rick Tocchet. But just as the 2021 fifth-round pick was starting to really push for more consideration at the NHL level, he suffered that season-ending injury. Murchison spent the rest of the spring rehabbing and said he was full-go starting in May, allowing him to have a full summer of training heading into the 2026-27 season.
In the AHL last year, his first full pro season — the Californian played four games after finishing up his career at Arizona State the year prior — he scored two goals and added four assists for six points in 29 games. He said he spent the summer working on developing the offensive side of his game, in hopes of contributing a bit more on the scoresheet in his second pro season.
In order to earn a full-time spot out of camp, Murchison will likely have to beat out former No. 6 overall pick David Jiříček, former No. 21 overall pick Oliver Bonk, and Hunter McDonald, among others. Bonk and Jiříček project to have more offensive upside, but in a third-pairing role, Murchison could prove he is a better fit with his defensive versatility, physicality, and penalty-killing upside. Murchison said he wants to prove he can be trusted in “big situations” and show off his impact regardless of how many minutes he gets.
If he doesn’t make it, he’ll return to playing big minutes for the Phantoms in the American Hockey League and await a potential call-up down the line.
» READ MORE: From rollerblading in California to college in the desert, Ty Murchison has taken a unique path to the Flyers
He’s already setting himself up well with his performance in rookie camp. Murchison wore the “C” in the first Rookie Series game and popped with his skating and steadiness on the back end, in addition to that fight.
“I didn’t want to force anything in the first game back,” Murchison said. “I was still feeling it out a little bit with some of the physicality. I just didn’t want to get caught in the wrong spots, but I thought it was a good game, good first game back.”
General manager Danny Brière lauded Murchison’s performance in the Rookie Series on Tuesday, pointing to him as an example of a player who is pushing for an NHL role this season and already impressing in a shortened camp.
“Guys might have one chance, they might have one game to prove themselves,” Brière said. “The message is, get noticed. That’s why I mentioned Ty Murchison and Noah Powell, that’s what they did on the weekend.”
Breakaways
Forwards Denver Barkey and Jett Luchanko returned to the ice for the final day of rookie camp practice after taking a maintenance day on Monday. … The TNT crew will be on-site for the Flyers’ home opener on Sept. 30 for a special pregame show at Stateside Live!, featuring panelists Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter, and Henrik Lundqvist. … The Flyers announced their 2026-27 promo schedule, including Gritty blanket and Flyers goalie glove oven mitt giveaways, not to mention a Peanuts Halloween Spooktacular on Oct. 27. The full schedule can be found here.
