Murphy earned the All-Star nod by racking up assists this season, with 17 in 25 games with the Checkers, and his playmaking ability was on full display last night. His three points were the second-highest total by a defenseman in the game and his +5 rating led all skaters on either team.
As Charlotte's lone representative at the weekend's festivities, Murphy also participated in the Skills Competition on Sunday, taking part in the Fastest Skater event and the Breakaway Challenge. Colin Miller of the Manchester Monarchs won the Fastest Skater event, but Murphy helped the Western Conference win a point for the lowest team average time. In the breakaway relay, Murphy was stopped on his attempt by J.F. Berube of the Monarchs.
Murphy is the first Checker to appear in an AHL All-Star Game since defenseman Michal Jordan and goaltender Justin Peters, represented the Western Conference in 2013. Other Checkers who played in an All-Star Classic during the club’s first four seasons in the AHL are Chris Terry (2012), Jerome Samson (2011) and Bryan Rodney (2011). Former Checkers defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti earned a selection to this season’s Western Conference team as a representative of the Utica Comets.
With the NHL All-Star break over and the AHL All-Star game in the books, the young blue liner will now return to Carolina, where he has five assists in 16 games with the Hurricanes. In the two games Murphy played with Charlotte during his most recent AHL stint, he was held without a point, but helped the Checkers split their two-games series with the Oklahoma City Barons.
