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Carolina signs 2011 first round pick Ryan Murphy

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Portraits

poses for a portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota.

Nick Laham

Last year, Calder Trophy winner-to-be Jeff Skinner impressed enough to make the Carolina Hurricanes’ roster right out of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. If offensive defenseman Ryan Murphy hopes to follow in Skinner’s footsteps, he’ll need to be under contract, so it’s great news for both sides that they came to terms on an entry-level deal today.

Murphy was the 12th overall pick of this year’s draft and Carolina’s top pick overall. NHL.com reports that Murphy’s deal is worth $832,500 per season with a $277,500 signing bonus.

If Murphy doesn’t make the jump to the NHL, he’ll return to the junior hockey level, where he’s been an impressive scorer from the blueline. Here’s a little bit more about Murphy’s successes and how the Hurricanes feel about his future - whether that manifests itself sooner than usual or if he understandably takes longer than Skinner to make the leap.

“Ryan is a gifted offensive defenseman,” [Hurricanes GM Jim] Rutherford said. “He skates extremely well and is dynamic with the puck. He put up very impressive numbers as a 17-year-old in the OHL, and he’s put himself in a position to push for a spot on the NHL level.”

Murphy has played two seasons for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League. He ranked second among all OHL defenseman last season with 79 points in 63 games. His 26 goals led all OHL blueliners and were second among all defensemen across Canada’s three major junior hockey leagues. His 53 assists were second among defensemen in the OHL.

Murphy has some international acclaim as well. He was named the top defensemen at the 2011 IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championship earlier this year when he led Team Canada with 13 points in seven games.

The Hurricanes play an attacking system, so Murphy could be a great fit whenever he shows that he’s ready for the rigors of the NHL. Carolina would certainly be delighted if he eventually helps them improve a power play that has earned a league-leading amount of opportunities since the lockout but hasn’t produced the results you’d expect from all those chances. He’ll have to prove himself in training camp and possibly preseason games to have a chance to make an immediate impact, though.