Murphy was born in Boston while his father, Gord, a 14-season NHL veteran, played defense for the Boston Bruins, and lived in Miami and Atlanta before the family settled in Dublin, Ohio, while his dad worked as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Murphy played with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program from 2009-11, but after being selected by the Phoenix Coyotes with the No. 20 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, he opted to play junior with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League, where he stayed two seasons.

A mobile puck mover who is also a solid defender with an edge to his game, Murphy split the 2013-14 season between the Coyotes and Portland of the American Hockey League. He skated in 30 NHL games, scoring one goal with eight points, while earning plus-five rating.

Murphy made his NHL debut Nov. 16, 2013, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring his first NHL goal while seeing 22:32 of ice time. He assembled a three-game point streak from Dec. 12-17, 2013, and had a pair of assists for his first multi-point game on Jan. 4, 2014, against the Philadelphia Flyers.

In 2014-15, Murphy ranked second on the Coyotes with 142 blocked shots and fifth with 137 hits while playing 73 games. Two of his seven points - a goal and an assist - came Nov. 11, 2014, against the Dallas Stars.

His second full NHL season saw Murphy score six goals and 17 points and earn a plus-five rating in 78 games. He recorded the third multi-point game of his career with two assists Nov. 5, 2015, against the Colorado Avalanche.

At season's end, the Coyotes signed Murphy to a six-year contract.

Murphy won gold medals at the 2011 World Under-18 tournament and 2013 World Junior tournament, and a bronze medal and the 2015 World Championship. In 2011, Murphy's goal in overtime against Sweden gave the Americans a 4-3 win in the gold medal game.