From Colgate Star to top Draft Prospect, Goalie Hannah Murphy Is Ready for the Next Stop

Hannah Murphy, who hails from Kingston, Ontario, is projected to be one of the first two goaltenders selected in next week’s PWHL Draft. Why? Ask anyone who spent time around Colgate’s women’s hockey program over the last four years.

Murphy recently graduated from the esteemed upstate New York institution after wrapping up a decorated college career that saw her become Colgate’s all-time leader in shutouts (18) and finishing with a .937 save percentage, 1.59 goals-against average, and a 73-16-1 record over 90 games played.

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We caught up with her on the phone recently, posted up at her parents’ house just weeks after finishing school. “I’m in training mode,” Murphy said. “Plan is to be here most of the summer.”

While she’s sad to be done with college—”Colgate was awesome. A perfect small-town school,” she said—Murphy is very excited for the future, beginning with the Draft.

“There are two things I’m most [excited about]. One—just to finally have an idea where I will be in the fall. There's a lot of excitement about playing professionally, but I just don’t know where I’ll be. So learning that will be great,” she said. “Two is just the chance to play professional female hockey in general. It’s not something I was looking forward to a few years ago. The goal growing up was just to play D1 and then the national team, which I've gotten a little taste of via the development program. And I want to keep trying to do that for sure. But now we have this intermediary step where we can actually play professionally in a league that is viable and feels like it’s gonna stick around. That is a lot more fun.”

Murphy’s journey to becoming one of the top goalies in this year’s draft started early, and enthusiastically. “I was a goalie pretty much right away. I was eyeing up the position on one of my first teams, and our goalie got hurt or sick. I volunteered to play it and never took the pads off since.”

She also had a strong role model in her older sister, who was a goalie as well. What began with curiosity and family inspiration grew into a college career she describes as nothing short of transformative. And unexpectedly fast moving. “I think one of my fondest memories was the ECAC Finals my freshman year,” she recalled. “Playing such a big game as a freshman, getting the win and celebrating with my teammates. That was the first of three in a row for me and, since they won the year before I got there, four in a row in total. That was really the start of my journey. I didn't know how much I would play that year, but starter Kayle Osborne got injured and I got the chance.”

Osborne is now a pro with the New York Sirens, where she’s reunited with former Colgate head coach Greg Fargo. Murphy remains close with both—she and Osborne are coaching at a goalie camp together this summer. “I was privileged to have amazing teammates,” Murphy said. “My junior year we graduated a lot of talented teammates and there’s a plethora of them all over the league. Having all that experience around me instilled a lot of confidence, especially seeing how well they’re doing [as pros].”

Even while playing with such elite talent, Murphy carved out her own role as a vocal leader. Being named a team captain her senior year underscored how much she meant to the program. “After that third year we had a much younger and more inexperienced team. My role expanded beyond stopping pucks and into being a leader who aimed to create a lot of calm within our program,” Murphy explained. “I had been around a lot of success, and I think my teammates really respected that about me. The coaches gave me the reins to take the net and make the most of my opportunities.”

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Cosigns Colgate Head Coach Stefan Decosse, who replaced Fargo before the ’24-25 season after nearly a decade as an assistant: "Hannah is an everyday player—consistent in her approach, relentless in her work ethic, and always able to elevate her game when it matters most. What makes her truly special, though, is how she leads—she’s welcoming, steady, and inclusive, creating an environment where every player feels seen, valued, and supported. She’s left an indelible mark on Colgate, and her leadership, both on and off the ice, will inspire future Raiders for years to come."

Besides Murphy’s top-level intangibles, her technical game is polished. She’s especially proud of her puck-handling ability, she told us. “My coaches have always encouraged me to do that and improve at it. So that’s an emphasis for me and I’m really looking to implement that in the pros.”

Still, she knows the jump to the pro game will require adjustment. “I’ve heard a lot about the speed and the physicality of the league, and I’ll need to adjust to that,” she said. “I’ve noticed that a lot of the goals are scored with a lot of screens and net-front presence. So I’m going to need to be fighting through screens to see pucks and battling to make every save.”

Despite her readiness, Murphy is taking a measured approach to the business side of pro hockey. Unlike most of the players entering this year’s draft, Murphy doesn’t have an agent—her mom, a lawyer, is handling contract guidance for now. “I think at some point I will sign with an agent. But my mom’s a lawyer so she could do a contract for me so I’m not in a hurry. I think I will get one eventually just to help with sponsorships. I’ve talked to quite a few different girls I've played with over the years and it just sounds like things like an extra set of gear, stuff like that, agents are helpful with that.”

Fittingly enough, Murphy will spend draft day with her family. Kingston’s not far from the draft host, Ottawa, to begin with, plus Murphy’s father has family there. And after that? Murphy is ready for wherever this journey takes her next.

Headline photo courtesy of Colgate University