Jon Merrill (ice hockey)

Jonathon Merrill (born February 3, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Merrill was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 2nd round (38th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Merrill was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but grew up in Grand Blanc, Michigan and Brighton, Michigan.[1]

Jon Merrill
Merrill with the New Jersey Devils in 2014
Born (1992-02-03) February 3, 1992
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Vegas Golden Knights
New Jersey Devils
NHL Draft 38th overall, 2010
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

As a youth, Merrill played in the 2004 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Little Caesars minor ice hockey team.[2]

Prior to turning professional, Merrill played NCAA college hockey with the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team. Merrill was suspended for the first 12 games of the 2011–12 season by the University of Michigan for "violating team rules."[3][4]

Merrill played for the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team for the 2011–12 season.

On March 27, 2013, the New Jersey Devils signed Merrill to a three-year entry-level contract, and he began the 2013–14 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Albany Devils.[5]

In the 2013–14 season, Merrill made his NHL debut on November 3, 2013, skating with the Devils in a game against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, but less than five minutes into he game he fell into the boards, sustaining severe facial lacerations and a concussion.[6][7]

He scored his first NHL goal on February 7, 2014, a game winner in overtime against Ilya Bryzgalov of the Edmonton Oilers,[8] making him the first Devil to score his first NHL goal in overtime.

On June 21, 2017, Merrill was selected in the NHL Expansion Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights.[9] On January 16, 2018, Merrill signed a two-year, $2.75 million contract extension with the Golden Knights.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 U.S. National Development Team NAHL 26 2 2 4 14 — — — — —
2009–10 U.S. National Development Team USHL 22 1 8 9 12 — — — — —
2010–11 University of Michigan CCHA 42 7 18 25 16 — — — — —
2011–12 University of Michigan CCHA 19 2 9 11 15 — — — — —
2012–13 University of Michigan CCHA 21 2 9 11 14 — — — — —
2012–13 Albany Devils AHL 12 1 7 8 4 — — — — —
2013–14 Albany Devils AHL 15 2 8 10 0 4 1 1 2 10
2013–14 New Jersey Devils NHL 52 2 9 11 12 — — — — —
2014–15 New Jersey Devils NHL 66 2 12 14 24 — — — — —
2015–16 New Jersey Devils NHL 47 1 4 5 28 — — — — —
2016–17 New Jersey Devils NHL 51 1 5 6 24 — — — — —
2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 34 1 2 3 22 8 0 0 0 10
2018–19 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 57 3 12 15 53 7 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 49 2 5 7 32
NHL totals 356 12 49 61 195 15 0 0 0 10

International
Medal record
Representing  United States
World Junior Championships
2011 Buffalo
World U18 Championships
2009 Minnesota
2010 Minsk
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2009 United States WJC18 7 0 2 2 4
2010 United States WJC18 7 0 1 1 2
2011 United States WJC 6 1 4 5 0
2012 United States WJC 7th 6 0 4 4 6
Junior totals 25 1 11 12 12

Awards and honors
Award Year
College
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2011 [11]

References
  1. Dan Feldman (June 24, 2010). "Incoming Michigan freshman and former Grand Blanc resident Jon Merrill's NHL draft hopes hinge on how teams view his maturity". mlive.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019. Born in Oklahoma City, where his dad served in the Air Force, Merrill moved to Grand Blanc when he was 3. His family moved to Brighton four years ago, and he moved to Ann Arbor two years ago to play for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.
  2. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  3. "Merrill Suspended for 12 Games". mgoblue.com. October 1, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  4. "McKenzie: Jon Merrill Trying to get Career Back on Track". December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. "Jon Merrill signs three year contract with Devils; to play remainder of season in Albany". Fire & Ice.com. 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  6. "Devils notes: Jon Merrill injured in debut". NorthJersey.com. 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  7. "Devils confirm Merrill suffered concussion in debut". NBC Sports. 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  8. "Merrill's first NHL goal lifts Devils over Oilers". sportsnet.ca. February 7, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  9. Pinchevsky, Tal (June 22, 2017). "Vegas Golden Knights Focus on Defense in N.H.L. Expansion Draft". The New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  10. "Jon Merrill Signs Two-Year Contract Extension, AAV $1.375 Million". NHL.com. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  11. "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.