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

[Ivan13]

Yeah it's definitely the coaches, lack of guidence and OHL's fault.

 

[themelkman]

Yeah it's definitely the coaches, lack of guidence and OHL's fault.

No one said that. As fans all we can do is point out that those things arent helping it to get better clearly and there needs to be a change.

 

[LeafChief]

This kid has had issues with coaches all the way back to Bantam.

 

[Patty Ice]

Yeah it's definitely the coaches, lack of guidence and OHL's fault.

Of course they should never have any accountability placed on them either.

 

[93LEAFS]

Doug Wilson Jr (Head Scout) and Bryan Marchment (scout) have attended 40 of his games last season. I am sure, Marchment especially, would not encourage any antics that would be detrimental to a locker room. Marchment is on record vouching for Merks.

Maybe Rob Wilson just isn't a strong enough coach to handle a dynamic personality (new coach needing to maintain complete control of a bunch of kids). Burns had no problem taking him under his wing during Sharks developmental camp last year.

He's had issues with every single OHL coach he's had, and he's had 3. You know the saying "If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole." There is a reason a team would dump him for peanuts while trying to win the league. It's not like Guelph were rebuilding. They wanted nothing to do with him at that point and thought it was addition by subtraction.

I'm sure the Sharks staff is telling him to correct this stuff. It doesn't mean he's listening.

Peterborough has wanted him out since March. They pretty quickly realized they made a mistake.

 

[Patty Ice]

He's had issues with every single OHL coach he's had, and he's had 3. You know the saying "If you run into an ******* in the morning, you ran into an *******. If you run into *******s all day, you're the *******." There is a reason a team would dump him for peanuts while trying to win the league. It's not like Guelph were rebuilding. They wanted nothing to do with him at that point and thought it was addition by subtraction.

I'm sure the Sharks staff is telling him to correct this stuff. It doesn't mean he's listening.

I am not questioning the fact that Merkley is a tough case. Everything points to it. However, these are kids that these coaches are dealing with. It is easy to pass the buck on kids that challenges your authority. I just find it to be a sign of weak coaching. Good coaches find ways to get the ear of the challenging cases.

 

[93LEAFS]

I am not questioning the fact that Merkley is a tough case. Everything points to it. However, these are kids that these coaches are dealing with. It is easy to pass the buck on kids that challenges your authority. I just find it to be a sign of weak coaching. Good coaches find ways to find the ear of the challenging cases.

Its happened repeatedly. Maybe Merkley should look in the mirror. If this happened with just one coach, you might have a case. But, he's done it everywhere he's gone. This isn't a weak coach wanting rid of him. No team in the OHL values him very highly. That should tell you, that the issue isn't with the coach. Good coaches and organizations also know when to walk away from a sunk-cost that they can't fix.

 

[Patty Ice]

No team in the OHL values him very highly

Petes seemed to last year.

 

[93LEAFS]

Petes seemed to last year.

No, they didn't. They traded barely anything for him. Look at what most players who were first-round picks who were rentals fetched.

 

[EON]

It's really too bad Merkley is such a head-case, he is such a talented player. I hope he figures it out soon and matures a bit.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

I am not questioning the fact that Merkley is a tough case. Everything points to it. However, these are kids that these coaches are dealing with. It is easy to pass the buck on kids that challenges your authority. I just find it to be a sign of weak coaching. Good coaches find ways to get the ear of the challenging cases.

This is just a rose-coloured-glasses take

Merkleys issues are mostly off ice - being tough to coach is just one of many reasons why he is considered toxic

The constant is Merkley - not coaches failing. Teammates get sick of him, coaches get sick of him, agents get sick of him. He is the only constant. The other people are just subjected to him until they throw their hands up.

 

[avsfan09]

It sounds like the kid needs to talk to a psychiatrist imo, When you're that young I give the kid the benefit of the doubt. If he can learn to understand why he reacts certain ways maybe he can work on ways to slowly make off ice changes to become a more well rounded person.

 

[deVolt]

Does he have light ASD? would explain a lot if so, watching his pre-draft interview he is well aware of his difficulties.

 

[93LEAFS]

It sounds like the kid needs to talk to a psychiatrist imo, When you're that young I give the kid the benefit of the doubt. If he can learn to understand why he reacts certain ways maybe he can work on ways to slowly make off ice changes to become a more well rounded person.

He was supposed to be seeing one pre-draft which his agency hooked him up with. It was mentioned in interviews around the draft.

 

[tealhockey]

He’s not mature enough or ready to play pro hockey right now IMO. He has plenty of warts that he needs to iron out and if he isn’t able or willing to do it in the CHL, then I doubt it’ll work for him in the AHL.

I agree he is an offensive guy who seems like he still has a lot of growth to come at both sides of the ice. The AHL is a men's league and it is a lot harder to grow as that type of player while still not physically at the same level as most of the AHL

 

[avsfan09]

He was supposed to be seeing one pre-draft which his agency hooked him up with. It was mentioned in interviews around the draft.

So than maybe he needs mushrooms I guess

 

[Andrei79]

I am not questioning the fact that Merkley is a tough case. Everything points to it. However, these are kids that these coaches are dealing with. It is easy to pass the buck on kids that challenges your authority. I just find it to be a sign of weak coaching. Good coaches find ways to get the ear of the challenging cases.

Guelph won the OHL title, they properly assessed getting rid of Merkley would be a net positive. The coaching was good enough to go to the memorial cup, so maybe, just maybe the problem might be the guy who's been a headcase all of his life.

 

[Canadiens1958]

It sounds like the kid needs to talk to a psychiatrist imo, When you're that young I give the kid the benefit of the doubt. If he can learn to understand why he reacts certain ways maybe he can work on ways to slowly make off ice changes to become a more well rounded person.

Ryan Merkley was referred to a psychologist by his agent. Not a psychiatrist.

Sharks see potential in first-round draft pick Ryan Merkley

 

[CanuckistanFlyerfan]

I didn’t say it’s not his fault. I just said that clearly he needs more input from the coaching staff and people around him if he’s going to change

Sometimes the person being deemed trouble by many different people needs to realize HE is the problem and not everyone else. And start working with them.

See Josh HoSang

 

[Killerjas]

Pretty sure this guy was on some teams "Dont draft" list

 

[robertmac43]

It's a shame he is such an issue. Has been really exciting to watch over his junior career, his skating is so smooth

 

[Kingpin794]

Guelph won the OHL title, they properly assessed getting rid of Merkley would be a net positive. The coaching was good enough to go to the memorial cup, so maybe, just maybe the problem might be the guy who's been a headcase all of his life.

They repeated line of "well Guelph won the title without him," from a few people is a bit disingenuous. It's not like they traded him and left the team alone after that. They ended up adding Sean Durzi, Markus Phillips, Nick Suzuki, and Mackenzie Entwistle. More of a case of without those guys added, they don't win the title than with Merkley they were hindered.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

Really does suck to see this. He's super talented and even though I'm a fan of the team who drafted him, I
m not going to deny the issues here. He's only going to be 19 this season so he still has a ton of time to grow up as a person, but it's all going to be up to him.

 

[4thline]

They repeated line of "well Guelph won the title without him," from a few people is a bit disingenuous. It's not like they traded him and left the team alone after that. They ended up adding Sean Durzi, Markus Phillips, Nick Suzuki, and Mackenzie Entwistle. More of a case of without those guys added, they don't win the title than with Merkley they were hindered.

I think it's that interpretation that's disingenuous. No one is saying that getting rid of him was the sole key, they're saying that a team that wanted to win decided that they were better off trading him away cheaply and paying a premium for a replacement rather than just keeping him around.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Its happened repeatedly. Maybe Merkley should look in the mirror. If this happened with just one coach, you might have a case. But, he's done it everywhere he's gone. This isn't a weak coach wanting rid of him. No team in the OHL values him very highly. That should tell you, that the issue isn't with the coach. Good coaches and organizations also know when to walk away from a sunk-cost that they can't fix.

Check the record of George Burnett. Ask about his stay at McGill.

George Burnett Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

George Burnett (ice hockey) - Wikipedia

How has Burnett faired in the NHL with the McGill clan?