Nicholas Merkley (born May 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing under contract with HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Merkley was formerly rated as a top prospect who was widely projected to be a first round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[1] In the said Draft, he was selected 30th overall by the Arizona Coyotes, the final pick of the opening round.
| Nick Merkley | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Merkley in 2018 | |||
| Born |
(1997-05-23) May 23, 1997 (age 25) Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
Dinamo Minsk Arizona Coyotes New Jersey Devils Ässät San Jose Sharks | ||
| NHL Draft |
30th overall, 2015 Arizona Coyotes | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Merkley was selected ninth overall by the Kelowna Rockets in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. Following a strong first season with the Rockets,[2] he was selected as the 2013–14 WHL Rookie of the Year and awarded the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy,[3] and during the 2014–15 WHL season he was rewarded for his outstanding play when he was selected to skate in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game[4] and was also named to the 2014–15 WHL (West) Second All-Star Team after scoring 20 goals and 90 points in 72 games.
On September 3, 2015, Merkley agreed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes.[5]
He made his NHL debut on December 19, 2017, against the Florida Panthers.[6] He played 13 minutes 30 seconds of ice time in a 3–2 loss. He was sent back down to the AHL shortly after. On January 4, 2018, Merkley was selected for the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic Game in Utica, New York.[7][8]
During the 2019–20 season while with the Tucson Roadrunners, Merkley was traded by the Coyotes to the New Jersey Devils in a deal involving star forward Taylor Hall on December 16, 2019.[9] Merkley joined the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, and was instantly productive in collecting 8 goals and 19 points in 28 regular season games. He was later recalled by the New Jersey Devils, adding a goal and an assist in four games, before the regular season was abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As an impending restricted free agent with the Devils and with the team unable to qualify in the return to play format, Merkley signed a one-year contract with the Finnish Liiga club Ässät on August 27, 2020, in order to stay in game shape. His contract included an NHL-out clause until commencement of the delayed 2020–21 North American season.[10]
On July 26, 2021, Merkley was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Christián Jaroš.[11] He signed a one-year contract three days later.[12] He made his debut for the Sharks on October 30, 2021, in a 2–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.[13] Three days later, he recorded hist first point as an assist in a 5–3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.[14] His first goal came on November 4, 2021, in a 3–5 loss to the St. Louis Blues.[15]
On March 21, 2022, Merkley was traded by the Sharks to the New York Rangers in exchange for Anthony Bitetto at the NHL trade deadline.[16]
On August 1, 2022, having left the Rangers as a free agent, Merkley agreed to a one-year contract with Belarusian club, HC Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, for the 2022–23 season.[17][18]
Merkley helped Team Canada capture the gold medal at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.[19]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Calgary Buffaloes | AMHL | 30 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 95 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | ||
| 2012–13 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 66 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 46 | 14 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 72 | 20 | 70 | 90 | 79 | 19 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 18 | ||
| 2015–16 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 43 | 17 | 31 | 48 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 63 | 23 | 40 | 63 | 73 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 22 | ||
| 2017–18 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 38 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 45 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 26 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Binghamton Devils | AHL | 28 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ässät | Liiga | 19 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 27 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Binghamton Devils | AHL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 43 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 16 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 41 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Canada Pacific | U17 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 2014 | Canada | IH18 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| Junior totals | 11 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 22 | ||||
| Honours | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy – WHL Rookie of the Year | 2013–14 | [20] |
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal | 2014 | [21] |
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2015 | [22] |
| WHL (West) Second All-Star Team | 2015 | [23] |
| CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2015 | [24] |
| American Hockey League All-Star Game | 2018 | [8] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Arizona Coyotes first round draft pick 2015 |
Succeeded by |