Quebec City — The consensus in hockey circles is that Kelowna Rockets’ forward Nick Merkley will be a first-round pick in this summer’s NHL entry draft.
The only question remaining is how high the Calgary native will go.
Based on NHL Central Scouting’s final season rankings, the 5-foot-11, 191-pound Merkley is the rated the 23rd best prospect among skaters in North America.
With close to 100 NHL scouts in Quebec City this week at the Memorial Cup, Merkley and every other eligible player on the four teams are undergoing one last perusal before the draft next month in Sunrise, Fla.
“Obviously with so many scouts here, there’s a little pressure but I think you just put that away and play your game, you can’t really do much more than that,” said Merkley, 18, who led the Rockets with 90 points this season. “We’ve had a good playoff run and that’s helped a lot of the guys on our team. I think it’s been huge for me.”
Merkley is the highest ranked player of all players at this week’s tournament and, according NHL Central Scouting’s Western Hockey League scout, his performance this week in Quebec is likely only to enhance his stock.
“Nick, he’s a highly-rated player for us, I saw him play a lot and he’s very consistent,” John Williams said. “Over time when you see him play, he always does something to help his team. He’s very smart, he has very good vision, makes plays in tight other players don’t. He’s a competitive kid that works at his game and he’s had a heck of a year. What he’s done here (Memorial Cup) will do nothing but help.”
NHL Central Scouting’s staff releases its rankings of top prospects twice each season—midterm and final—encompassing players in both North American and Europe.
Williams said the lists are complied from the subjective opinion of scouts and serve as a guideline and helpful tool for NHL teams to use when making their own decisions about players.
“Throughout the course of the year we have scouts going to games, filing reports, and we meet throughout the season to rank the players in order,” Williams said. “Obviously there are going to be changes along the way, because our last list comes out at the end of the regular season. It’s really a couple of snapshots of the season.
“There are always guys who step up in the playoffs and shine and get noticed, and vice-versa.”
Central Scouting paid particular attention to two other Rockets during the regular season—defenceman Devante Stephens and Joe Gatenby.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Stephens, who was rated 116th among 210 North American skaters, held Williams’ interest with his continued improvement during the 2014-15 campaign.
“What I’ve liked about him is how far he’s come during the course of the year,” Williams said. “He plays important minutes, on the penalty kill. His game has progressed throughout the year in terms of ice time, and his contribution to the team, a guy who’s trending in the right direction.”
In Gatenby, Williams sees a poised and intelligent blue liner who should only get better with experience.
“What I liked especially during world junior time when they had two guys (Bowey and Morrissey) off at camp, I thought he really stepped it up,” Williams said. “He can really contribute and he’s a very smart player…another guy who is a smart, a steady player who helps you win hockey games.”
Ranked 174th, there is no guarantee the 6-foot, 177-pound Gatenby will have his named called at the NHL draft on June 27.
Still, even if he is chosen, the Kelowna product knows it’s just one more step towards his ultimate goal.
“It’s nice (to be ranked) it’s been my goal to play in the NHL some day, hopefully I’ll get drafted, I really want it,” Gatenby said. “There’s still work to do regardless, whether I get drafted or not. It’s only the first step.”
Central Scouting lists 210 North American skaters in its rankings and another 140 from Europe.
So with just 210 picks to be made overall the entire draft, it’s clear dozens of players will be disappointed with the outcome.
But as John Williams points out, being passed over on June 27 won’t necessarily mean the end of the pro dream for those players.
“The draft is just one step, guys realize it’s just another day,” Williams said. “You gotta keep working and getting better. Sometimes guys get drafted and don’t turn out, and sometimes guys that don’t like Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay) become stars in the NHL.
“There are always guys who slip through the cracks and that’s the reality of the game.”
