A busy period of transactions continued Friday with the Hurricanes recalling defenseman Ryan Murphy just prior to the start of the Checkers’ three-in-three weekend.
Murphy, the Hurricanes’ first-round pick in 2011 who just turned 21 on Monday, recorded one assist during his recent three-game stint with Charlotte. His franchise-record, 12-game assist/point streak that began during his previous AHL stint in January came to an end in the Checkers’ shootout win against Oklahoma City last Saturday.
The loss of Murphy, the Checkers’ most productive defensemen in terms of points per game (one goal and 18 assists in 19 AHL games this season), comes hours after the team received its top two scorers, Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry, back from short stints in Carolina. Charlotte still has seven defensemen at its disposal, with Keegan Lowe and Dennis Robertson available to provide cover for Friday night’s game in San Antonio.
Murphy ranks second among Checkers defensemen in assists, having already set a team record for most by a rookie blueliner in that category. His 12-game assist streak was the longest by an AHL defenseman since the 2008-09 season.
