D Ryan Merkley - Peterborough Petes, OHL (2018, 21st, SJS)

[Apotheosis]

i like this kid
solidyfying a top 5 in 2018 for me

He's not as sure of a bet as Dahlin in any way. 2018 is incredibly deep. He could go anywhere from 4-11 IMO. He definitely has a higher offensive ceiling, but Dahlin and many of the guys within the top 10 are more sure bets (more accurate floors if that makes sense). Same with Cale Makar in 2017's draft. Amazing offensive instincts. Both are two prospects that actually really remind me of Karlsson if I ever saw one (two). But it's about translation and development.

 

[Josepho]

As of late, I've been watching the Storm more than any other OHL team and this kid is singlehandedly why.

Absolutely elite skating in every way. He's just ridiculous. His straight line speed is fantastic. He can afford to make risky pinches, since he normally flies back to his own zone on time. His lateral movement is phenomenal and it leads to him getting open lanes. Fans aren't going to complain about this guy missing the net or hitting shinpads. His backwards skating is also great and he doesn't get beat to the wide often. The best aspect of his skating is the way he turns. He loves doing 360 degree turns and he does them often and well. He's obviously not going to be able to spin around like a ballerina in the NHL like he does in juniors, but it's a useful skill to have nonetheless.

He's an offensive defenceman for sure, no other way of putting it. He's a talented passer who sees the ice well and it's a shame he's stuck on this atrocious Guelph squad. I'd kill to see what he would do with forwards like that of Erie or Kitchener (or basically anyone else). As expected, he's a stud on the PP as well and I love seeing him fire from the point with Smith/Ratcliffe crashing the net. Sometimes guilty of attempting to do too much, but again, I think that has a lot to do with the lack of talented teammates. But the numbers speak for themselves, nearly point per game on a bad OHL team is just insane.

Defensively, I feel pretty good about him. He's slightly prone to being flat-out overpowered on occasion, but that's a pretty normal problem for a lightweight rookie to have in the OHL. He has solid awareness and decent positioning but he's definitely not a rock back there. Luckily, his combination of speed, skill and smarts usually leads to him moving the puck out of the zone fairly easily.

His biggest priority is to put on weight. 5'11" is a respectable height, but he's going to get totally destroyed if he doesn't put on lean muscle. But I'm not worried about it in the slightest, I'm sure he knows that he needs to bulk up.

I'm very excited for this kid. Not only is he very talented, but he's also going to be marketable too.

 

[Apotheosis]

As of late, I've been watching the Storm more than any other OHL team and this kid is singlehandedly why.

Absolutely elite skating in every way. He's just ridiculous. His straight line speed is fantastic. He can afford to make risky pinches, since he normally flies back to his own zone on time. His lateral movement is phenomenal and it leads to him getting open lanes. Fans aren't going to complain about this guy missing the net or hitting shinpads. His backwards skating is also great and he doesn't get beat to the wide often. The best aspect of his skating is the way he turns. He loves doing 360 degree turns and he does them often and well. He's obviously not going to be able to spin around like a ballerina in the NHL like he does in juniors, but it's a useful skill to have nonetheless.

He's an offensive defenceman for sure, no other way of putting it. He's a talented passer who sees the ice well and it's a shame he's stuck on this atrocious Guelph squad. I'd kill to see what he would do with forwards like that of Erie or Kitchener (or basically anyone else). As expected, he's a stud on the PP as well and I love seeing him fire from the point with Smith/Ratcliffe crashing the net. Sometimes guilty of attempting to do too much, but again, I think that has a lot to do with the lack of talented teammates. But the numbers speak for themselves, nearly point per game on a bad OHL team is just insane.

Defensively, I feel pretty good about him. He's slightly prone to being flat-out overpowered on occasion, but that's a pretty normal problem for a lightweight rookie to have in the OHL. He has solid awareness and decent positioning but he's definitely not a rock back there. Luckily, his combination of speed, skill and smarts usually leads to him moving the puck out of the zone fairly easily.

His biggest priority is to put on weight. 5'11" is a respectable height, but he's going to get totally destroyed if he doesn't put on lean muscle. But I'm not worried about it in the slightest, I'm sure he knows that he needs to bulk up.

I'm very excited for this kid. Not only is he very talented, but he's also going to be marketable too.

Yup. I would do many things for the Leafs to somehow be in a position to draft him next year. Him and Rielly on separate pairings (and Merkley is a Toronto boy who grew up supporting Toronto) terrorizing match-ups. Merkley moving the puck to Matthews/Marner/Nylander sounds scary.

 

[kk87]

Yup. I would do many things for the Leafs to somehow be in a position to draft him next year. Him and Rielly on separate pairings (and Merkley is a Toronto boy who grew up supporting Toronto) terrorizing match-ups. Merkley moving the puck to Matthews/Marner/Nylander sounds scary.

Hard to imagine we'll be drafting high enough in 2018 to nab him...

 

[Apotheosis]

Hard to imagine we'll be drafting high enough in 2018 to nab him...

That I know. I mean maybe we could nab a trade with a team that bottoms out unexpectedly next year.

 

[RyanOhReally]

Love this kid but he needs backcheck after jumping up in the play. He's been lacking in that the last few weeks. I get that Guelph is starting to fall off in the standings (even more so than already), but someone in the room or even the coaches needs to step up and get him and the team going.

 

[Apotheosis]

Kid has great vision man.

 

[Tim Raines]

Not to throw cold water on the thread as I still believe his elite skill and skating will make him dangerous, but to all the comments about Doughty, I have to reply.

He is no Doughty. Doughty was completely dominant in three zones.

Merkley can be an unmitigated disaster in his own end. Let's be honest here, he is quite sub-par defensively. Frequently caught, frequently beaten. Watch his one-on-one play in tight to his net. He is one of the bigger spectators I've seen. He has a LONG way to go defensively.

And I know a lot of the elite offensive prospects have the same knock, but of all the elite guys I've seen in the CHL lately, he is right near the top offensively, and right near the bottom defensively. It's not even close to a Doughty.

 

[amack081]

Not to throw cold water on the thread as I still believe his elite skill and skating will make him dangerous, but to all the comments about Doughty, I have to reply.

He is no Doughty. Doughty was completely dominant in three zones.

Merkley can be an unmitigated disaster in his own end. Let's be honest here, he is quite sub-par defensively. Frequently caught, frequently beaten. Watch his one-on-one play in tight to his net. He is one of the bigger spectators I've seen. He has a LONG way to go defensively.

And I know a lot of the elite offensive prospects have the same knock, but of all the elite guys I've seen in the CHL lately, he is right near the top offensively, and right near the bottom defensively. It's not even close to a Doughty.

Doughty's first year with the Storm wasn't that brilliant defensively either but his second year was simply fantastic and there's no denying that.

Merkley currently plays against the best division in the entire CHL with probably 4 teams that rank in the top 20 in the CHL - London, Erie, OS and Kitchener so defensive mistakes are bound to happen.

The difference between Merkley and Doughty at this point (and probably will be for the next 2 years) is that Doughty was built like a truck but could still skate like the wind.

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

As of late, I've been watching the Storm more than any other OHL team and this kid is singlehandedly why.

Absolutely elite skating in every way. He's just ridiculous. His straight line speed is fantastic. He can afford to make risky pinches, since he normally flies back to his own zone on time. His lateral movement is phenomenal and it leads to him getting open lanes. Fans aren't going to complain about this guy missing the net or hitting shinpads. His backwards skating is also great and he doesn't get beat to the wide often. The best aspect of his skating is the way he turns. He loves doing 360 degree turns and he does them often and well. He's obviously not going to be able to spin around like a ballerina in the NHL like he does in juniors, but it's a useful skill to have nonetheless.

He's an offensive defenceman for sure, no other way of putting it. He's a talented passer who sees the ice well and it's a shame he's stuck on this atrocious Guelph squad. I'd kill to see what he would do with forwards like that of Erie or Kitchener (or basically anyone else). As expected, he's a stud on the PP as well and I love seeing him fire from the point with Smith/Ratcliffe crashing the net. Sometimes guilty of attempting to do too much, but again, I think that has a lot to do with the lack of talented teammates. But the numbers speak for themselves, nearly point per game on a bad OHL team is just insane.

Defensively, I feel pretty good about him. He's slightly prone to being flat-out overpowered on occasion, but that's a pretty normal problem for a lightweight rookie to have in the OHL. He has solid awareness and decent positioning but he's definitely not a rock back there. Luckily, his combination of speed, skill and smarts usually leads to him moving the puck out of the zone fairly easily.

His biggest priority is to put on weight. 5'11" is a respectable height, but he's going to get totally destroyed if he doesn't put on lean muscle. But I'm not worried about it in the slightest, I'm sure he knows that he needs to bulk up.

I'm very excited for this kid. Not only is he very talented, but he's also going to be marketable too.

Seems kind of like a Letang skating wise.

Not sure if that's a good comparable.

 

[amack081]

Seems kind of like a Letang skating wise.

Not sure if that's a good comparable.

That is a good comparable.

 

[Tim Raines]

Doughty's first year with the Storm wasn't that brilliant defensively either but his second year was simply fantastic and there's no denying that.

Merkley currently plays against the best division in the entire CHL with probably 4 teams that rank in the top 20 in the CHL - London, Erie, OS and Kitchener so defensive mistakes are bound to happen.

The difference between Merkley and Doughty at this point (and probably will be for the next 2 years) is that Doughty was built like a truck but could still skate like the wind.

For sure. Doughty was a tank who wasn't afraid to engage. He'd get caught, but he had his recovery angles and speed mastered pretty well. And he was aggressive on both sides of the puck. I find Merkley much more meek in his own end. There, I see more Murphy than Doughty.

 

[amack081]

For sure. Doughty was a tank who wasn't afraid to engage. He'd get caught, but he had his recovery angles and speed mastered pretty well. And he was aggressive on both sides of the puck. I find Merkley much more meek in his own end. There, I see more Murphy than Doughty.

I agree but I'm wondering if that is a confidence issue (i.e being timid to going up against bigger bodies) as opposed to an overall flaw in his game. Time will tell whether its the former or the latter as its hard to judge a 16 year old defensemen vs 19/20 year old forwards.

 

[BM14]

One of the ringers on my summer league team last year played with him on the Jr Canadiens.
I'm going to pick his brain about him.

 

[BM14]

One of the ringers on my summer league team last year played with him on the Jr Canadiens.
I'm going to pick his brain about him.

**Got the birth years mixed up. Can't edit. Sorry.

 

[Tim Raines]

I agree but I'm wondering if that is a confidence issue (i.e being timid to going up against bigger bodies) as opposed to an overall flaw in his game. Time will tell whether its the former or the latter as its hard to judge a 16 year old defensemen vs 19/20 year old forwards.

Quite possibly. Coaching/development will be HUGE for him over the next couple of seasons. If they can get him understanding the nuances of his own zone and aggressiveness a little better, look out!

 

[LarrysMustache]

-40. Getting cold out there

 

[StormSurge9]

-40. Getting cold out there

He hasn't been good defensively.

He is however 16 years old playing #1 defenceman minutes in the OHL MidWest Division that has 3 of the CHL's top 10 teams. The rest of the West Conference also has Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor, the #5 and an honourable mention in the CHL top 10. The rest of his own team is pretty terrible as well.

I'm willing to cut some slack this season, but he's going to need to need a big improvement in order to go high in next years draft.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

 

[Daximus]

Yeah this kid is definitely going high in the draft. Based on where Makar went, I think this kid is even more of a dynamic offensive force on D, better skater too which is crazy.
GM's are salivating for guys like that, character concerns be damned. He'll get a tonne of hype all season if he plays like he has been.

 

[Breakers]

He is slowly putting on some weight.

At the beginning of last season he was listed at 5'11 164.

Almost a year later he is listed by Team Canada as 5'11 170

 

[Randy Randerson]

Yeah this kid is definitely going high in the draft. Based on where Makar went, I think this kid is even more of a dynamic offensive force on D, better skater too which is crazy.
GM's are salivating for guys like that, character concerns be damned. He'll get a tonne of hype all season if he plays like he has been.

Agree, I can see GM's with top 5ish picks being gunshy if the defensive and character concerns persist, but with that offensive ability I think someone will swing for the fences before pick 15. He was also the highest scoring player on a really bad team last year, and I don't think the outlook is a lot better but I can see him going off for 80-90pts

I like Makar's skating about as much as Merkley's, but Merkley is coming out of a tier 1 junior league so I think that balances out the defensive/character issues

 

[93LEAFS]

Agree, I can see GM's with top 5ish picks being gunshy if the defensive and character concerns persist, but with that offensive ability I think someone will swing for the fences before pick 15. He was also the highest scoring player on a really bad team last year, and I don't think the outlook is a lot better but I can see him going off for 80-90pts

I like Makar's skating about as much as Merkley's, but Merkley is coming out of a tier 1 junior league so I think that balances out the defensive/character issues

I'd be surprised given how Burnett likes to play and who he is passing the puck to. I doubt he gets the same license to roam he did last year. Although, he could just outright ignore Burnett like P.K. did at times.

 

[Daximus]

Agree, I can see GM's with top 5ish picks being gunshy if the defensive and character concerns persist, but with that offensive ability I think someone will swing for the fences before pick 15. He was also the highest scoring player on a really bad team last year, and I don't think the outlook is a lot better but I can see him going off for 80-90pts

I like Makar's skating about as much as Merkley's, but Merkley is coming out of a tier 1 junior league so I think that balances out the defensive/character issues

I'd be surprised given how Burnett likes to play and who he is passing the puck to. I doubt he gets the same license to roam he did last year. Although, he could just outright ignore Burnett like P.K. did at times.

Either way I think he will go high. GM's just don't sleep on kids like this coming out of the OHL. If he was in Europe or maybe even in the states he might go a bit lower. But based on his play over the last few days and his skill level I think someone takes a chance on him in the top 10 for sure.

 

[Randy Randerson]

I'd be surprised given how Burnett likes to play and who he is passing the puck to. I doubt he gets the same license to roam he did last year. Although, he could just outright ignore Burnett like P.K. did at times.

That opinion is really based on Guelph getting better, which they probably won't do in leaps and bounds but I think noticeable improvement will happen. I think Merkley will also improve a bit himself which (without looking too much into it) I think is sorta the norm for CHL dmen who are expected to go high

Wouldn't it make sense that his agent would be telling him to put up points as well? Seems like staying on a leash is something that could hurt his draft stock

Either way I think he will go high. GM's just don't sleep on kids like this coming out of the OHL. If he was in Europe or maybe even in the states he might go a bit lower. But based on his play over the last few days and his skill level I think someone takes a chance on him in the top 10 for sure.

ya I'd agree - if the concerns persist but the offense is good, I think top 10/12 is likely. If the concerns fade away and the offense is good, I think top 5 is very possible