Tahoe and Cincinnati exchange blueliners in a deal announced on Tuesday.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters and Cincinnati Cyclones are two clubs headed in different directions this season.
Tahoe has won seven games in a row and sit in second place in the Mountain Division with a 15-6-1-1 record in their first ECHL season. The Cyclones are struggling with a 3-15-3 mark, last in the Central.
Murphy has skated in 20 games this season for the Cyclones, scoring two goals and adding six assists. In 2023-24, the Fredericton, New Brunswick native skated most of the year with the Manchester Storm in the EIHL and recorded 22 points (2-20-22) in 48 games.
The veteran blueliner has a proven pro hockey pedigree, having won an ECHL title as a member of the Fort Wayne Komets in 2021 and playing at a point per game pace with the Iowa Heartlanders in 2023.
Murphy has also played 29 AHL games as a member of the Chicago Wolves, Belleville Senators, Providence Bruns, Abbotsford Canucks, and Iowa Wild, racking up nine assists in those contests. He also has a Memorial Cup championship with the Halifax Mooseheads and a USports championship with the University of New Brunswick on his resume.
Dodero and Vilio both played key roles for the Knight Monsters this season, with Dodero slotting in as a bottom-six forward and Vilio spending time on the third d-pairing. Dodero notched the second hat trick in franchise history against the Idaho Steelheads on November 27.
The Knight Monsters take their seven-game winning streak into the first of three games against the Utah Grizzlies on the road. Puck drop for the series opener on Wednesday is scheduled for 6:10 Pm.