Andrew Murray was born November 7, 1981 in Selkirk, Manitoba. The eighth round, 242nd overall selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Murray is a graduate of Bemidji State University.
A hard working centreman, Murray capped off a four year stint at Bemidji State University with a personal best 38-point campaign in 2004-05. Murray went on to make his professional hockey debut with the Columbus Blue Jacket's AHL affiliate in Syracuse the following season. He spent two and a half seasons in Syracuse before he was called up by the Blue Jackets mid-way through the 2007-08 season. Under the defensive minded Ken Hitchcock, Murray would spend the rest of his season in Columbus and lead the Blue Jackets in goal rookie goal scoring in just half a season of work.