Prospects of interest (2nd round): Jon Merrill

Over the next few weeks leading up to the 2010 NHL entry draft, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the prospects who could feasibly be available for the Oilers second round picks. The amount of literature available on Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin is staggering and well worth reading, but they represent a miniscule fraction of the talent available in this year’s draft. Our selection at #31 represents a high likelihood of acquiring an NHL-level talent just outside the first round. There are many options available, and due to drafting trends of other teams some may not be available when the Oilers make their second round selection.

We start today with THN’s 31st ranked prospect, Jon Merrill.

2009-10 stats: NTDP 22gp 1-8-9 12PIM (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=120966)

Other assorted rankings:

ISS – 21
Central Scouting – 21
TSN’s MacKenzie’s list (January) – HM
North American Central Scouting (Sept 2009) - 11

Born Feburary 3, 1992 in the USA, Merill is a 6’3” 198lb left-handed defenseman from the American NTDP known for his smooth skating abilities with good passing ability. He comes from a team deep in large puck-movers (Stephen Johns, Justin Faulk, Jarred Tinordi), but is seen as having the highest ceiling of all of them aside from the higher ranked Derek Forbort. Says a scout from THN’s draft preview:

"He potentially has a good upside with his skill level...He’s a big defenseman who moves the puck well, kind of that Gormley, Forbort kind of player”.

Merrill was bumped up from the U-17 team to the U-18 team last season for 19 games, and commented that it really helped his development as a top prospect. In an interview with McKeens (http://mckeenshockey.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1076474):

“It was a great experience. I was really honoured to be able to play up last year...The experience was unbelievable and I think it helped a lot. We had a bunch, like five of our guys from my age group were up on that team last year, so we’re hoping to bring that experience we had last year back to the team this year."

Already committed to the University of Michigan for next season since he was fourteen (the youngest to ever commit to an NCAA program), he has no doubts where he’s going to be playing next year.

“I think for me, it’s better to go to school, and that’s just what I’ve always wanted to do. I’m 100 percent committed there”.

Merrill ran into some trouble this year when he was suspended from the team for violating team policy (http://thepipelineshow.blogspot.com/2010/01/3-suspended-1-quits-us-under-18-team.html). His indiscretions seem to be of little concern however, as the backlash from the suspension has been all but forgotten.

When asked about his strengths and weaknesses, Merrill commented that his strength has improved a lot over the last two seasons, and that video sessions with his coaches have helped improve his positional play. He also said that he’s working on improving his offensive game, most notably his shot.

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I think Merrill would be a solid pick-up for the Oilers prospect system. His game tailors well to the new style of NHL defender. He’s got a lot of similarities to current Oiler Tom Gilbert and you can’t have enough big, smooth skating defensemen in the system.

There is doubt he’ll be available when the 31st overall pick comes up. The Oilers may have to trade up into the mid-20s if they believe he is a player of interest.