The Seattle Torrent entered the 2026 PWHL Draft looking for players who fit the identity general manager Meghan Turner has spent the offseason describing. With the second overall pick, Seattle selected Abbey Murphy, one of the most accomplished scorers in college hockey and one of the marquee prospects in this year’s draft class.
The selection could immediately give Seattle an immediate offensive boost after a season in which scoring was a persistent challenge. It also offers an early indication of how Turner plans to reshape the roster after expansion.
Why Murphy fits Seattle’s identity
The selection may have surprised fans who spent months after the Olympics imagining Laila Edwards in a Torrent sweater, but the hockey case for Murphy is easy to understand.
Seattle entered the draft needing offense. The expansion process cost the Torrent two of their most dynamic forwards in Hannah Bilka and Hilary Knight, leaving Alex Carpenter as the only returning top-line scorer. If Turner wanted to add an elite offensive talent capable of contributing immediately, Murphy was one of the best options available.
Few players in college hockey were more productive this season. Murphy led the NCAA in both goals per game and points per game while serving as captain at Minnesota. Her game combines elite finishing ability with high-end skating and creativity, making her a threat whether she has the puck on her stick or is finding space away from it.
“Never gets easier,” Murphy told reporters about competing at the highest level. “But I’m just looking forward to getting out there and getting to work.”
What makes Murphy particularly intriguing for Seattle is that she embodies many of the traits Turner has repeatedly highlighted throughout the offseason. She plays with pace, attacks defenders aggressively, and competes with an edge that can make her a frustrating matchup for opponents. Turner has spoken about wanting a team that pressures opponents, wins puck battles, and never allows teams to get comfortable. Murphy has built her reputation doing exactly that.
“I can’t wait to bring my style of play over there,” Murphy said.
It’s also not difficult to envision where she fits in the lineup. Seattle spent much of its inaugural season searching for consistent secondary scoring behind Carpenter. Murphy gives the Torrent another player capable of driving offense and could quickly find herself playing major minutes alongside Seattle’s veteran center.
A familiar connection with Alex Carpenter
Murphy was also key part of Team USA’s 2026 Olympic gold medal run, and she enters a roster that already includes one of her national team teammates in Alex Carpenter.
“Ready to be reunited with Carp,” Murphy said. “I’ve learned so much from her over the past couple years… she leads with her actions.”
That familiarity matters less in a tactical sense than a structural one. Carpenter is one of the league’s most reliable playmakers and possession drivers. Murphy is a natural finisher who thrives when the puck gets to dangerous areas.
Murphy herself pointed toward that possibility. “There’s a lot of speed on a line, hopefully get to play with her,” she said. “There’s a lot of talent over there on the Torrent.”
If Seattle eventually pairs them together, it would give the team a clear top-line structure built around Carpenter’s distribution and Murphy’s shot.
The questions Seattle will have to answer
The hockey rationale behind the pick is straightforward. The off-ice conversation is more complicated.
Murphy has previously faced criticism from some fans for following U.S. President Donald Trump on social media and her comments after the Olympics when the president told the men’s team over speakerphone that he would “probably be impeached” if he did not also invite the women’s team to the White House. While the joke and the subsequent laughter from the men’s locker room drew widespread public criticism and led the women’s team to decline the White House invitation, Murphy defended the U.S. men’s hockey team, during an appearance on Barstool’s Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
“You hear someone in the back of the phone call yell, ‘2-for-2.’ We never felt anything bad from them,” Murphy said in a clip shared on X. ”It’s sad that they even have to apologize for anything. It was a huge, honestly, part for both teams and a really cool moment.”
Former Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight also addressed the president’s comments after her return from Milano Cortina, saying: “I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” she said. “And I think just the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats.”
Seattle has spent the past year building a fan base that strongly embraces inclusion and LGBTQ+ visibility. The timing also adds context. On June 28, the Torrent are scheduled to serve as grand marshals of the Seattle Pride Parade, one of the city’s largest LGBTQ+ events and a highly visible role for a franchise that has emphasized community engagement.
As a result, some fans are already asking how the organization reconciles its public-facing values with concerns that have followed one of its most high-profile draft picks. Those questions are unlikely to disappear because of on-ice production.
It remains unclear whether the organization will address any of these broader conversations directly. But they are now part of the public framing around her arrival in Seattle.
Murphy, for her part, spoke about wanting to connect with Seattle beyond hockey.
“I look forward to getting in with the community and getting to know little kids and grow the game as much as I can over there,” she said. “I can’t wait.”
How those intentions and the surrounding concerns intersect will likely become part of the early narrative of her time in Seattle.
What the pick says about Seattle
More than anything, Murphy’s selection reveals what Turner values.
The Torrent had an opportunity to add one of the draft’s premier talents, and they selected a player whose speed, competitiveness, and offensive production align closely with the style Turner has spent months describing.
The coming years will reveal whether that proves to be the right decision. What is clear today is that the organization believes Murphy can become a cornerstone player as the Torrent try to establish their identity in Year 2.
The hockey fit is easy to understand. Murphy could make Seattle better. Now the organization has to show fans why she was the right choice.
