Knight Monsters Execute Trade With Cyclones

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.

On Tuesday, the ECHL Affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights announced they have traded for defender Matt Murphy from the Cincinnati Cyclones for forward Chris Dodero and defender Elijah Vilio.

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.