PWHL Las Vegas signs Maureen Murphy to one-year contract
A solid secondary scorer is heading to Sin City and is expected to take a bigger role.
Right at Friday’s deadline for Phase 3 of the PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process, PWHL Las Vegas announced it has signed forward Maureen Murphy to a one-year contract.
Murphy is the third and final signing the new franchise can make in Phase 3, as general manager Dominique DiDia has also inked defender Megan Carter and goaltender Nicole Hensley, adding to the team’s foundational signings – Erin Ambrose, Mae Batherson, Kendall Cooper, Hayley Scamurra and Hilary Knight (though the last isn’t expected to be around much longer).
Murphy had spent her entire pro career with the Montreal Victoire, entering the league as a solid offensive weapon in the college ranks. Murphy had the opportunity to sign with the new team in Las Vegas, as she was left unprotected by the Victoire. General manager Daniele Sauvageau elected to protect forward Laura Stacy, goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens and captain Marie-Philip Poulin, before signing defender Maggie Flaherty on Thursday, protecting her for the rest of the expansion process.
The Buffalo native has had some ups and downs in her young PWHL career. After a strong rookie campaign, scoring five goals and 16 points in 2024, Murphy struggled to score in Year 2, posting just six points. However, this past year, she showed glimpses of her potential on a Montreal team that finished with the league’s best record for the second year in a row and went on to win the Walter Cup. Despite missing nine games due to injury, Murphy still scored four goals and seven points in 21 games, registering a plus/minus of +1 while averaging 15:07 of ice time. She posted another three points in the playoffs.
Murphy, who was taken in the third round of the inaugural PWHL Draft three years ago, has scored 12 goals and 29 points in 73 regular-season games in the PWHL, with eight points in 16 postseason contests.
Las Vegas won’t be able to add any more players until the fourth phase, which is set to begin on Monday.