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DETROIT FALCONS MEDIA PRESENTS THE ANNUAL SMJHL DRAFT FLOOR INTERVIEW SERIES

Though they didn't have a first round draft choice in this season's SMJHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Falcons were nonetheless ecstatic with their first pick of the evening. Smooth-skating defenseman Tig Murphy, a highly-touted prospect out of the BC prep school circuit, represented the coveted combination between selecting for team need and selecting the best talent available. 

Marsh, who torched his league to the tune of 98 points in 38 games - again, as a defenseman - this past season, offers a unique blend of offensive creativity to a thin blueline in Detroit. "He makes plays with the puck you wouldn't even envision if you were looking at it frame-by-frame, and he does it at full speed," noted one team executive. "He has elite puckmoving ability combined with elite skating, and that makes him a threat with the puck from anywhere on the ice. If he's out of passing options, he just wheels it up the ice himself."

After being called up to the stage and pulling the Falcons jersey over his head for the first time, Marsh was given some time to collect himself, meet with his new team executives and coaching staff, and be congratulated backstage by his family, who flew in from Dublin, Ireland to attend the event.

As the last of the night's draft picks had been made and teams started to pass on their remaining selections, Marsh stepped to the podium for his first interview as a Detroit Falcon. The press conference is transcribed below:

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Q: Tig, congrats on being drafted. Leading up to the draft, did you have any indication that you would be picked where you were?

TM: No, to be honest. I had some conversations with a few teams, including the Falcons, but I never really had any indication of where I'd end up, or even what round I would be picked in. It was all a whirlwind hearing my name so early in the draft, I'm definitely very grateful to the Falcons organization for believing in me so highly.

Q: You say that you didn't really know where you'd go in the draft. Were you paying attention to any rankings or mock drafts during the season? 

TM: No, I really made an effort not to get caught up with stuff like that. Over the course of the season, my goal is to play my game and show the scouts what I'm capable of, and a distraction like that doesn't help me accomplish that goal. I'm a big believer in focusing only on the things I can control, and mock drafts and rankings definitely aren't under my control beyond my own play.

Q: How does it feel to be one of the highest-drafted Irish prospects in SMJHL history?

TM: It's a huge honour obviously. There have been some great Irish players before me that I really look up to, and my hope is that there are young kids watching that are inspired to become the next great players for our country. 

Q: Do you think your draft position will attract the attention of the British Isles World Junior team as a possible selection?

TM: They're really focused on putting the best possible team together so I assume draft position would have nothing to do with their decision-making process. I'd like to think that my skillset would put me into the conversation, but if I'm not selected this season there's always going to be next year for me to keep working towards.

Q: How much do you know about your new organization and your future teammates?

TM: I've heard a lot of great things, especially about their amazing locker room culture. I got to experience that first-hand already, so many of the guys have already sent me texts welcoming me to the team, which feels really awesome. I know that defense is definitely an area of need for the team so I'm really excited to try and be part of the solution and help this team to a championship or three.

Q: Did you know any of the other prospects drafted by the Falcons today? 

TM: I know Tobias Viklund a little bit, yeah. We've played against each other in a bunch of tournaments growing up, and we did a little bit of pre-draft training together as well. I ended up sitting with Wolfhard Richter earlier in the evening before I got picked so I got to know him a little as well, so it was really cool to see him get picked by Detroit as well. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting the rest of the new draftees as well as some of the more established guys in training camp.

Q: How do you see yourself contributing to the Falcons roster this season?

TM: I think for me it will be all about using my speed and puck-moving ability to break the puck out of our zone as quickly as possible as well as contribute offensively once we get the puck down the ice. I like to open up the ice for our forwards with passes and by activating on the rush, so I think that'll be important for me to do consistently. I'm going to do my best to push for time on the powerplay as well, but that's up to the coaches. 

Q: What do you see as the biggest weaknesses in your game?

TM: I'd say my physical play is probably not where it needs to be, especially now that I'm going to be defending against bigger and better players. Defensively my positioning and stickwork is pretty good, but I need to be a lot better at coming away with the puck along the wall and using my body to break cycles. I'm not a small guy so I'm hopeful this will get a lot better as I fill out more.

Q: What was it like to have your parents in the crowd for this experience, tonight?

TM: It was incredible. There's no way I could have been here tonight without them. They've spent so much time, effort, and money on providing me with the opportunity to chase my dream, and to have them be able to fly in all the way from Dublin was amazing. I think they might have been more excited than I was when my name was called, but seeing their faces when it happened was really special. I also had my coach from Victoria, Trent Schultz, fly in to be here tonight so I want to make sure I thank him as well for giving me the opportunity to play and develop with his team for the last two years. He's helped me grow my game so much in a short period of time and I would never have been on the SMJHL radar without him.

Q: Why did you choose the number 94, and will you continue wearing it in Detroit?

TM: Honestly, I just liked the number as a kid and have been wearing it ever since. A few players I liked all wore it. It's worked for me so far, so if it's available in Detroit, I'll definitely stick with it.