All-American forward Abbey Murphy will return to the University of Minnesota women’s hockey program for her final season of eligibility, head coach Brad Frost announced on Wednesday morning.
“We are ecstatic that Murph has chosen to come back,” said Frost. “She is a staple within our Gopher program and women’s hockey worldwide. Our team and college hockey will be better with her in it.”
The Evergreen Park, Ill. native, whose collegiate career began in 2020-21, has the opportunity to return due to an Olympic redshirt during the 2021-22 season and an extra year of eligibility that was granted in 2020 due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.
“I’m beyond excited to announce I will be coming back for my final year of college hockey,” Murphy said. “I am pumped for another go around with this team. It’s been a great ride but we’re not done yet. Go Gophers!”
Murphy tallied a career-high 65 points during the 2024-25 season, the fourth-most nationally. She ranked second in the nation in goals (33), and led the nation in both game-winning goals (7) and shots (242).
Murphy tied her career-high in goals and set a new personal best in assists this season. She has tallied 103 goals in Maroon & Gold, sixth-most in program history, and 92 career assists. Her career goal total ranks second among active players nationally, and her career goals per game percentage (.74) leads active players. Murphy’s 195 points rank third among active players in the NCAA.
Last season, Murphy was named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the second consecutive year. She was also named a Second-Team All-American, Second-Team All-USCHO selection, a 2024-25 All-WCHA Second Team selection, and was twice named WCHA Forward of the Week and WCHA Forward of the Month. Additionally, Murphy was named National Player of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association in back-to-back months (December, January).
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
