Tuesday, 20. January 2026 |
Ryan Murphy on the future with the Red Bulls
Watching Ryan Murphy play ice hockey sometimes feels like being in a concert hall. The 32-year-old is a virtuoso on the ice, a playmaker with very delicate hands and feet and outstanding game intelligence.
The proof: Murphy has already covered 13,059 meters with the puck on his stick in his 36 games to date, almost half of which were in the opponent's third. Ville Pokka follows behind with 12,384 meters. Murphy also completes almost 90 percent of his passes. Top numbers!
"I watched Ryan play in Salzburg for two years; he's an artist. The plays he makes and the way he celebrates ice hockey are beautiful to watch,“ Christian Winkler aptly described a few days ago. ”He's doing really well,“ praises our Managing Director Sports Red Bull Ice Hockey.
”I had to get used to it first"
With 28 points, Murphy is currently Munich's top-scoring defenseman and ranks eighth in the league. With 23 assists, he is even in fourth place. But it's not just offensively that he is among the best. With +15, a strong score for an offensive defenseman, he is also well ahead in the plus/minus statistics for our team. In plain language: since around mid-November, the former NHL player has fully arrived in the league.
Ryan Murphys bisherige Highlights bei Red Bull München
The start of the season was difficult not only for the Red Bulls, but especially for him. “Whenever you join a new team, you want to show what you can do right away. You want to earn the trust of your coach and your teammates. But I had to get used to it first,” he reveals. And that meant getting used to very simple things: new people, a new arena, simply a new life.
Together to success
So Murphy got off to a slow start. He recalls: “It was frustrating for me because I wasn't scoring as much as I was used to. But many of our new players felt the same way. It's no secret that we were very inconsistent at the beginning of the season,” he looks back.
But after many hours of video study and hard work in training, it clicked and our guys were able to internalize the game system more and more. “Then things got easier. We all work together, and that's what you need for individual success,” Murphy explains.
Murphy on his special move
And our number 24's very special weapon also became increasingly apparent. Murphy likes to feint a slap shot at the blue line, only to then pass the puck hard in front of the opponent's goal. “I always look for my teammates' sticks. It's just a very dangerous play and difficult to defend against,” he emphasizes. This allows the Munich forwards to deflect the puck decisively or another player to be left unmarked as the opposing defender moves toward the puck.
Patrick Hager, among others, has been successful several times after Murphy passes. “We practice this a lot. He's just very good at deflecting the puck like that.” The problem, however, is that the opponents have long since recognized this trick. “The other teams see on video that this move is very dangerous and try to prevent it. But we'll keep trying,” Murphy says with a wink.
0:1 | Patrick Hager fälscht in Überzahl ab
// IN-GAME-VIDEO
Difference between PENNY DEL and ICE Hockey League
In any case, the right-handed shooter is having a lot of fun in the PENNY DEL. He is particularly impressed by the high level of performance in the German ice hockey top division. Sometimes he sits down with our coach Oliver David after the games and they talk about how strong each individual team is. “Every team, whether at the top of the table or further down, plays a system. They can all skate and check,” he describes. “The top teams in Austria were also very good. But in Germany, every team can really keep up at any time,” is his brief comparison of the two leagues. In other words, anyone can beat anyone.
Chances of winning the title with the Red Bulls
And of course, the Red Bulls want to beat all the teams, no matter who we face in the playoffs starting in March. Is that a feasible plan? Murphy's answer is clear: "One hundred percent. No team dominates us. We've beaten Cologne a few times too,“ he makes clear. And he knows what championships feel like. After all, he won the Austrian title with EC Red Bull Salzburg in each of the past two years. Accordingly, his mindset this season is also focused on ultimate success. But not just his. ”Every one of us has been thinking this way since the start of the season; we have this expectation of ourselves," Murphy emphasizes.
Highlights: EHC Red Bull München vs. Kölner Haie (10.12.2025)
// DEL - HIGHLIGHTS
And this confidence is well-founded. Over the past few months, the Red Bulls have shown that they belong at the top of the league. Currently in third place, we are only one point behind second-placed Mannheim. And there is something else that gives Murphy cause for optimism. “We've had a lot of injuries recently, but we were still a top team. We're only going to get better. If we stay healthy and everyone gets back into their rhythm, it's pretty scary how good we can be.”
His clear conclusion is therefore: “Yes, we have a chance to go all the way and win the title.”
Why the break is difficult
Murphy sees the upcoming Olympic break in February as a factor that should not be underestimated. During this time, the PENNY DEL will be suspended. Such a long break in the middle of the season is, of course, unusual for professional ice hockey players. The Red Bulls will play their last game for the time being on January 27 at the Schwenninger Wild Wings, before we continue after the Olympic Games with the home derby against ERC Ingolstadt on February 25. There are 28 days in between.
“It's strange,” he confirms. “It's important to keep your body moving. You have to stay in game mode as best you can,” Murphy knows. Background: With only eight games left in the regular season, the playoffs are already starting. “That's a quick turnaround. I think the team that manages to stay in the best shape during the break will have an advantage,” he speculates.
Extra motivation after a visit home
Murphy himself will still be taking a few days off in February. He will be spending a week in his Canadian hometown of Uxbridge before flying back to Munich with his family. They have not yet visited the Bavarian capital. So, from the end of February, he will have his loved ones around him again – if that doesn't give him an extra boost for the hot phase of the season!
And then he can finally show his wife Alisha and his two little boys his new home. He enthuses: “It's great here, Munich is a beautiful city. The restaurants are great, the people are very friendly. And the SAP Garden is the most beautiful arena I've played in since my time in the NHL,” says Murphy after his first six months in Munich.
A road trip to Italy?
And there's something else on his to-do list for February: cheering on Team Canada at the Olympics. He laughs: “I may live in Germany, but it's hard for me to hide the Canadian boy in me.” It's also convenient that the final will take place in Milan on February 22. That means the final won't be too far away from Munich.
“One of my best friends is Team Canada's goalie, Jordan Binnington (NHL, St. Louis Blues). We have the day off and if they make it to the final, I'll probably go there,” he says. Murphy would therefore be there live as a spectator. However, he doesn't want to commit to an Olympic champion. “Honestly, in a tournament like this with decisive games, anyone can win.”
And who knows: maybe the Canadians will even face the DEB team with Mathias Niederberger, Fabio Wagner, and Tobias Rieder during the Olympic Games.
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Rieder on the Olympics: “I want to enjoy it to the fullest and perform well.”// NATIONAL TEAM
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Nominated again: Fabio Wagner ready for the Olympics and the world's best players// CURRENT