Nick Merkley
Nick Merkley | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Calgary, AB, CAN | May 23, 1997||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb) | ||
Position | Forward | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Arizona Coyotes Kelowna Rockets (WHL) | ||
NHL draft |
30th overall, 2015 Arizona Coyotes | ||
Playing career | TBD–present |
Nick Merkley (born May 23, 1997) is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing in the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Merkley was 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.
Playing career
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]
International play
Merkley helped Team Canada capture the gold medal at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.[6]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
WHL totals | 182 | 62 | 134 | 196 | 169 | 40 | 9 | 38 | 47 | 30 |
International
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 |
Awards and honours
Honours | Year | |
---|---|---|
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy - WHL Rookie of the Year | 2013–14 | [7] |
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal | 2014 | [8] |
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2015 | [9] |
WHL (West) Second All-Star Team | 2015 | [10] |
CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2015 | [11] |
References
- ^ "Merkley Rockets' next top NHL draft pick". Sportsnet.ca. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Kelowna Rockets rookie Nick Merkley blossoming quickly". Yahoo! Sports. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Early draft watch includes Rockets trio". okanagansportpage.com. November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
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(help) - ^ "Kelowna's Nick Merkley proves cream rises to the top for NHL draft". Yahoo! Sports. June 27, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Coyotes sign Merkley to entry-level contract". Arizona Coyotes. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Merkley helps team Canada u18's claim gold". Kelowna Rockets. October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
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(help) - ^ "Nick Merkley vaults into lead scoring race". Calgary Herald. April 1, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "NHL draft prospect Nick Merkley is making a statement". The Hockey News. February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Rockets forward selected to Prospects Game". kelownacapnews.com. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Bowey, Chartier, Merkley, Morrissey named to All-Star teams". Kelowna Rockets. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
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(help) - ^ "Memorial Cup awards and All-Stars". Memorial Cup. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
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External links
- Nick Merkley career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Nick Merkley career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database