Murphy on Oilers development camp invite: 'You don’t decline something like this'

EDMONTON -- Abbey Murphy might have been selected by the Seattle Torrent with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft, but it was an Edmonton Oilers jersey she was seen skating in on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old forward was one of three women's hockey players who were invited by Oilers general manager Stan Bowman to attend their four-day development camp, which featured the first on-ice sessions on Tuesday.

Murphy, along with Chloe Primerano and Caitlin Kraemer, took part in the sessions with 24 other prospects, including all five of Edmonton's selections in the 2026 NHL Draft this past weekend. Erin Ambrose, who will play for Las Vegas in the PWHL next season, was on the ice for the second year as a guest coach.

“It’s a pretty special feeling being here, being a part of the Edmonton Oilers organization, and having this opportunity as one of the few women here and being able to participate with these big boys out here,” Murphy said. “It’s been pretty fun; they’ve been nothing but respectful toward us. It’s been a blast so far and I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”

Murphy recently completed a standout collegiate career with the University of Minnesota, leading the Golden Gophers with 66 points (40 goals, 26 assists) in 31 games as a graduate student this past season.

One of those 26 assists went viral following a 4-3 win against rival Minnesota State on Jan. 10. Late in the first period of that win, Murphy flipped the puck up on a rush and then batted it through the legs of a defender before sliding it across the slot to Anabella Fanale for a one-timer.

The following month, Murphy won the gold medal at the 2026 Milan Olympics with Team USA, who defeated rival Canada 2-1 in overtime in the gold-medal game.

Then, on June 17, she was selected by Seattle with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft.

Now, she is holding her own with NHL prospects at Oilers development camp.

“Learning from these guys has been one of the coolest things,” Murphy said. “You don’t often get to skate with guys who are above you, and you’re skating with one of the best organizations in the NHL. You have one of the best coaching staffs and behind the scenes staff that are willing to help us in any way they can.

“Obviously, going out to Seattle, it’s a big organization, too, and I’m super pumped for that, and here they’re also just helping us get settled in with what it’s like to be a professional.”

Murphy added that she was surprised to receive an invite to attend the annual summer camp. It’s the first time Edmonton has invited women's hockey players to participate.

Her talent, combined with her longtime relationship with Bowman, facilitated the offer.

“I grew up with his boys playing at Chicago Mission. I also know (Oilers defenseman prospect) Paul Fischer a little bit out of there,” Murphy said. “I grew up with Will (Bowman), and I’ve just kind of grown that relationship with their family, and now I get to skate with his youngest daughter Graycen, who is like a little sister to me.  

“We skate a bunch in the summer, and she’s someone who I’ve gotten to know a lot, and getting to know Stan, too, a lot about him and what he’s doing, it’s been a blast. They’re great people.”

Bowman contacted Murphy, as well as Primerano and Kraemer, roughly a month ago asking if they would like to attend.

“I couldn’t believe it. We were all super excited about the opportunity,” Murphy said. “You don’t decline something like this, the opportunity to skate with these guys out here. They’re all amazing, and kind of getting to learn from them and get to know them a lot, and this Edmonton Oilers staff has been nothing but incredible to us.”

Kraemer also had difficulty believing the invitation was real at first.

The 20-year-old forward recently completed her sophomore season at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she had 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 36 games. She is also the all-time leading scorer for the Canada National Women's U18 Team, having put up 53 points, including 37 goals, in 32 games.

“Stan sent a text over and I was in the car with my dad, and I thought it was spam,” Kraemer said. “It turns out to be legit, and I didn’t feel like this was ever going to happen, so it was surprising but I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

Primerano, a 19-year-old defender, is entering her junior year at the University of Minnesota, where she was a teammate of Murphy’s the past two seasons. She was one of the finals cuts for Canada's Olympic team after playing for her country at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship in Czechia.

“It was really fun being out there with all the guys, and wearing an Edmonton Oilers jersey was a really cool experience,” Primerano said. “I got a text from Stan and I was really excited. It’s such a cool opportunity and experience for Abbey, Caitlin and myself to be here. I just so grateful to the Oilers for having us out here.”

The development camp will continue with three on-ice sessions on Wednesday before concluding with a 3-on-3 tournament on Thursday.  

“You’re skating with some of best guys in the world,” Murphy said. “They’re on their own journey and we’re on our own journey, too, and to kind of cross paths in a development camp like this is a pretty unique opportunity. I think this is the first time girls have been invited to a development camp, and just to be a part of history like that is pretty fun, and they’ve been nothing but welcoming to us and giving us the best experience they could.”