Reign: Murray gets a promotion.

The Syracuse Crunch’s scouting department must have liked what it saw from John Murray recently, as they signed the Reign netminder to a pro tryout agreement Thursday that will give the 21-year-old his first shot at the next level. Dennis Cook has been signed as the emergency backup to Kellen Briggs for tomorrow’s game against visiting Stockton.

The promotion comes, interestingly enough, during Murray’s worst stretch of the season. He went 3-4-2 in the month of January with a hefty 3.59 goals-against average. It’s possible (if not likely) that a coach or scout for Syracuse saw Murray at the recent ECHL all-star game in Lancaster, Pa.

Syracuse is the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Murray will be bumping elbows with No. 6 overall draft pick Nikita Filatov, who was just sent down by the NHL club.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.