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Wikipedia

Connor Murphy

This article is about the American ice hockey player. For the Australian triple jumper, see Connor Murphy (triple jumper). For the English rugby union player, see Connor Murphy (rugby union). For the Sinn Féin MP/MLA, see Conor Murphy. For the fictional character, see Dear Evan Hansen.

Connor Murphy (born March 26, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He was selected 20th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He is the son of former NHL defenseman Gord Murphy.

Connor Murphy
Murphy with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023.
Born (1993-03-26) March 26, 1993 (age 31)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Chicago Blackhawks
Arizona Coyotes
National team  United States
NHL draft 20th overall, 2011
Phoenix Coyotes
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

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Amateur

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As a youth, Murphy played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets minor ice hockey team.[1] He later played junior ice hockey with the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League.[2] Prior to signing with the Sting, Murphy committed to Miami University,[3] but decided to play in the Ontario Hockey League for the Sarnia Sting instead. Murphy has previously played for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

Phoenix Coyotes organization

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Murphy with the Phoenix Coyotes.

On November 16, 2013, Connor made his NHL debut with the Phoenix Coyotes, and in his first NHL game he scored his first NHL goal past Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Anders Lindback.[4]

On July 28, 2016, Murphy signed a six-year, $23.1 million contract with the Coyotes.[5]

Chicago Blackhawks

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After his fourth season with the Coyotes, Murphy and Laurent Dauphin were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Niklas Hjalmarsson on June 23, 2017.[6] Murphy struggled in his first season under head coach Joel Quenneville, sitting as a healthy scratch for three of the Blackhawks first 12 games.[7] When he did make the lineup, Murphy was asked to play on his left side despite being a right-handed defenceman. In his first four games in this position, Murphy played alongside Brent Seabrook and scored his first goal of the season.[8] Murphy and Seabrook found success over 244 minutes together in a third-pairing role before being split up in the second half of the season.[9] Following his split from Seabrook, Murphy had trouble finding a permanent spot in the Blackhawks lineup and played alongside different defensive partners through the rest of the season.[10] The Blackhawks also struggled to win games and were eliminated from playoff contention on March 21 with a losing 30–35–9 record.[11] Murphy finished the 2017–18 season with two goals and 12 assists through 76 games, his lowest point total since 2014–15.[12]

During the offseason, Murphy suffered a back injury which caused him to miss the first three months of the 2018–19 season.[13] He returned to the lineup on December 7 and was immediately paired with rookie Carl Dahlström in a shutdown role. In his first 11 games back, Murphy tallied one goal and four assists for five points.[14] Murphy's return had a positive impact on the team and the two defencemen earned praise from the Blackhawk's coaching staff on their effectiveness.[15] New head coach Jeremy Colliton described the two as "a huge benefit to our team" because they were playing a physical game and winning puck battles.[16]

As with the previous season, Murphy missed the first game of the 2019–20 season due to an injury suffered in training camp.[17] While he was recovering, his former defensive partner Dahlström was claimed off of waivers by the Winnipeg Jets.[18] As such, Murphy was originally united with Duncan Keith as his defensive partner.[19] However, their time together was short as Murphy suffered a groin injury six games into the season.[20] Murphy missed 10 games to recover from the injury, during which the Blackhawks lost five of the first six games in his absence.[17] Upon returning, Murphy gained Olli Määttä as his new defensive partner and the two were placed in shutdown roles on the ice against other top defensive pairings. Through November, Murphy led the team in defensive statistics as he allowed only 51.6 shots per 60 minutes and only 24.0 scoring chances per 60 minutes.[21] Once Keith was activated off injured reserve in mid-December, the two were reunited on the Blackhawks top line.[22] This pairing once again was short lived as Keith found consistency with Adam Boqvist and Murphy struggled to find a consistent defensive partner. Through late February and early March, he was often paired with recently-acquired Nick Seeler or rookie Lucas Carlsson and saw an increase in ice time overall.[23] When the NHL paused play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Murphy had set a new career-high with 19 points through 58 games.[24]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL created a modified playoff format in order to allow the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs to occur. When the NHL began its return-to-play initiative in July 2020, both Murphy and Maatta were deemed “unfit” to play after participating in three practice sessions. Due to an agreement between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association, teams were not allowed to reveal why players were deemed "unfit" to play for privacy reasons.[25] Murphy was sidelined for six days before returning to Blackhawks practice on July 23.[26] Despite the Blackhawks finishing the season as the last seed in the Western Conference, they qualified for the NHL's new best-of-five series and faced off against the fifth seed Edmonton Oilers.[27] Murphy and the Blackhawks beat the Oilers in four games[28] but were eventually eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round best-of-seven series.[29]

 
Murphy (right) during a game against the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

As the NHL was still dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season was reduced to 56 games and began on January 13, 2021.[30] Shortly after the season began, Murphy tallied his 99th and 100th career NHL points with a goal and an assist in a 6–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on January 24.[31] Murphy continued to accumulate points and added two goals and three assists over 13 games before suffering a hip injury on February 7. He missed six games on injured reserve to recover from the injury and returned to the Blackhawks lineup on February 25.[32] At the conclusion of the season, Murphy was the Blackhawks nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy as a player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice."[33]

On August 31, 2021, Murphy signed a four-year, $17.6 million contract extension with the Blackhawks.[34] Following the signing of his new contract, Murphy was appointed an alternate captain for the Blackhawks in their 2021–22 season. He wore the 'A' on his jersey for road games while Alex DeBrincat wore it for home games.[35] On March 12, 2022, Murphy suffered a concussion after being checked into the boards by Ottawa Senators player Parker Kelly.[36] At the time of the concussion, Murphy had tallied 10 points through 56 games while averaging just over 22 minutes of ice time per game.[37] He subsequently missed the remainder of the season to recover and was again nominated by the Blackhawks for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.[38]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
  2015 Czech Republic
  2018 Denmark
World Junior Championships
  2013 Russia
IIHF World U18 Championship
  2011 Germany

Murphy represented the United States internationally playing for Team USA in the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships with Team USA. He scored three goals and had one assist in six games during the tournament,[12] including the overtime goal in the gold medal game against Sweden.[39] He was selected as captain for the 2017 IIHF World Championship, leading Team USA to a 5th-place finish.[40]

Personal life

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Murphy was born in Boston when his father, Gord Murphy, was a member of the Boston Bruins. He grew up in the suburbs of Miami and Atlanta before his family settled in Dublin, Ohio, when his father was an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has a brother named Tyler and a sister named Lexi.[41]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2009–10 U.S. NTDP U17 USDP 8 1 0 1 4 — — — — —
2010–11 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 9 3 1 4 6 — — — — —
2010–11 U.S. NTDP U17 USDP 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2010–11 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 22 6 4 10 6 — — — — —
2011–12 Sarnia Sting OHL 35 8 18 26 26 6 1 2 3 6
2012–13 Sarnia Sting OHL 33 6 12 18 32 — — — — —
2013–14 Portland Pirates AHL 36 0 13 13 48 — — — — —
2013–14 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 30 1 7 8 10 — — — — —
2014–15 Arizona Coyotes NHL 73 4 3 7 42 — — — — —
2015–16 Arizona Coyotes NHL 78 6 11 17 48 — — — — —
2016–17 Arizona Coyotes NHL 77 2 15 17 45 — — — — —
2017–18 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 76 2 12 14 34 — — — — —
2018–19 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 52 5 8 13 40 — — — — —
2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 58 5 14 19 27 9 0 4 4 4
2020–21 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 50 3 12 15 35 — — — — —
2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 57 4 6 10 47 — — — — —
2022–23 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 80 7 6 13 69 — — — — —
2023–24 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 46 2 6 8 40 — — — — —
NHL totals 677 41 100 141 437 9 0 4 4 4

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2010 United States IH18   5 1 3 4
2011 United States WJC18   6 3 1 4 2
2013 United States WJC   7 0 1 1 2
2014 United States WC 6th 5 0 0 0 0
2015 United States WC   10 0 0 0 0
2016 United States WC 4th 10 3 2 5 12
2017 United States WC 5th 8 1 1 2 2
2018 United States WC   10 0 1 1 8
Junior totals 18 4 5 9 4
Senior totals 43 4 4 8 22

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Kula, Tyler. "UPDATED: Sting land Coyote draft pick Connor Murphy". The Observer. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  3. ^ "Murphy Commits to Miami University". USHL. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  4. ^ "Player breaking news". rotoworld.com. November 16, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  5. ^ "Coyotes Sign Murphy to Six-Year Contract". Arizona Coyotes. July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "Blackhawks acquire Murphy and Dauphin from Arizona for Hjalmarsson". National Hockey League. June 23, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Dietz, John (December 16, 2017). "For Chicago Blackhawks, nothing healthy about being scratched". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Hine, Chris (November 17, 2017). "Blackhawks defender Connor Murphy gets used to life on the left side". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Power, Scott (February 8, 2018). "Q&A: Connor Murphy opens up about his challenging first season with the Blackhawks". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Sznajder, Corey (May 15, 2018). "Blackhawks season review: What to do with Connor Murphy going forward". Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  11. ^ Roumeliotis, Charlie (March 21, 2018). "Blackhawks eliminated from playoff contention with loss to Avalanche". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Connor Murphy". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  13. ^ Lazerus, Mark (December 7, 2018). "The Wraparound: Connor Murphy not here to 'save the day,' but the Blackhawks sure could use the help". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Lazerus, Mark (December 31, 2018). "Grading every Blackhawks player at the halfway point of the season". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  15. ^ Greenfield, Jimmy (January 10, 2019). "Rookie Carl Dahlstrom has found a home on the Blackhawks' blue line". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  16. ^ Bekovic, Slavko (January 10, 2019). "Blue line finding consistency with Murphy and Dahlstrom". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Lazerus, Mark (November 18, 2019). "Career-long playoff drought frustrates and fuels Blackhawks' Connor Murphy". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  18. ^ "Jets claim Dahlstrom off waivers". National Hockey League. October 1, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  19. ^ Pope, Ben (October 21, 2019). "Connor Murphy settles in as Duncan Keith's partner on Blackhawks' top pair". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  20. ^ "Blackhawks place defenceman Connor Murphy on long-term IR". Sportsnet. October 23, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Pope, Ben (November 28, 2019). "Connor Murphy's Midas touch now making Olli Maatta golden for Blackhawks". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  22. ^ Pope, Ben (December 18, 2019). "Blackhawks get Duncan Keith back, scratch Brent Seabrook in loss to Avalanche". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  23. ^ Pope, Ben (March 9, 2020). "Connor Murphy becoming Blackhawks' on-call defensive mentor with Duncan Keith occupied". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  24. ^ Roumeliotis, Charlie (May 26, 2020). "Blackhawks 2019-20 season in review: Connor Murphy". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  25. ^ Roumeliotis, Charlie (July 17, 2020). "Olli Maatta, Connor Murphy ruled 'unfit' as list of sidelined Blackhawks grows". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Baum, Carter (July 23, 2020). "BLOG: Toews, de Haan and Murphy Return to Practice Thursday". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  27. ^ Pope, Ben (May 26, 2020). "Blackhawks playoff bound as NHL announces postseason format, outlines timetable". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Bennett, Dean (August 7, 2020). "Chicago bounces Oilers from NHL post-season with 3-2 win in qualifying play". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  29. ^ Baum, Carter (August 19, 2020). "RECAP: Blackhawks Eliminated with Game 5 Loss, 4-3". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  30. ^ "NHL 2020-21 season FAQ: Answering key questions ahead of unique year". Sportsnet. December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  31. ^ Cain, Brandon (January 24, 2021). "Suter hat trick powers Blackhawks past Red Wings". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  32. ^ Pope, Ben (February 25, 2021). "Even during strange homecoming, Blackhawks' Connor Murphy enjoys return from hip injury". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "King Clancy Trophy nominees announced by NHL". National Hockey League. May 18, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  34. ^ "RELEASE: Connor Murphy Signs Four-Year Contract Extension". National Hockey League. August 31, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  35. ^ Pope, Ben (October 15, 2021). "Connor Murphy's leadership reflected in now-official Blackhawks alternate captaincy". Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  36. ^ Pope, Ben (April 10, 2022). "Four weeks after terrifying concussion, Blackhawks' Connor Murphy is skating again and 'feeling good'". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  37. ^ Neven, Olivier (March 12, 2022). "Blackhawks' Connor Murphy leaves on stretcher after scary hit". Yahoo!. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  38. ^ "NHL announces the 32 nominees for the 2021-22 King Clancy Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. May 4, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  39. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (April 25, 2011). "Murphy scores OT goal to lead U.S. over Sweden". NHL. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  40. ^ Hockey, USA (May 1, 2017). "Murphy Named Captain of 2017 U.S. Men's National Team". Team USA Hockey. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  41. ^ "Gord Murphy Florida Panthers – Assistant Coach". NHL.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Phoenix Coyotes first round draft pick
2011 		Succeeded by
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