Sharks make controversial pick in NHL draft

DALLAS — Doug Wilson suggested that he might roll the dice on a high-risk player with the Sharks first pick to acquire a potential 'difference maker' at the 2018 NHL Draft. He certainly delivered in Dallas Friday night.

With the 21st pick, the Sharks selected defenseman Ryan Merkley of the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm. Merkley has what many draft experts consider to be a top-10 skill set, but teams shied away from him because of a controversy-plagued junior hockey career.

In February, Merkley received a three-game suspension for slashing an opponent in the legs with a two-handed baseball-style swing. In 2016-17, he was sent to the dressing room during a game after a heated argument with his coach on the bench. On more than one occasion with the Storm, he's served as a healthy scratch because of attitude issues.

Still, Merkley's talent is undeniable. In 2016, he joined the likes of Eric Lindros, John Tavares and Connor McDavid by becoming the No. 1 pick in the OHL draft. In two seasons in the league, Merkley has burned up the scoresheet, scoring 122 points in 125 games from the blue line.

Many draft experts considered Merkley to be the second most-talented defenseman in the draft behind Rasmus Dahlin, who went first overall.

'We were looking for difference makers,' Wilson said. 'At the No.21 spot, you have to take a little bit more risk. We spent a lot of time with this kid and we feel comfortable.'

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Merkley assuaged Wilson's concerns about his character during a one-on-one interview at the NHL combine a few weeks ago. The Sharks general manager spoke with Merkley right after he jumped off the exercise bike and he was impressed by the 17-year old's willingness to take ownership of his past transgressions.

He got to know the defenseman even better over lunch.

'He looked us right in the eye, didn't deny things that he would do differently,' Wilson said, adding: 'Which is great. He's just a young kid.'

Merkley spoke with similar candidness when taking questions from reporters after his selection at the draft. He knew exactly why he dropped to No. 21, taking accountability for the character issues that scared teams away.

'I know what I've done wrong. I know my bad habits. I know the areas I've got to work on if I want to get to the next level,' Merkley said.

'My agent ... set me up with a psychologist, a mental guy, to help me with those areas — it's a big area. I'm going to be walking into a locker room with a bunch of men and dads and I can't be acting like that.'

Wilson said Merkley's behavior problems can be traced back to a 'good place': his competitiveness. In two years with Guelph, the Storm has finished seventh and 10th in the OHL's Western Conference, leading to frustration, anger and temper tantrums.

The general manager is convinced that Merkley can learn to harness his competitive fire in more productive ways as he matures into a professional.

'His issues are issues of frustration, of being such a competitor,' Wilson said. 'I played with guys that if you just meet them, and they act a certain way, you might think they're a jerk. But when you get to know them, and you find out what the genesis of their reason for acting that way is — they expect more from themselves, they want to make a difference.'

Temper and attitude aren't the only reasons that Merkley got tagged as a high-risk draft choice. Scouts also expressed concern about his defensive game. While Merkley is basically a point-per-game defenseman at the junior hockey level, he's also posted a combined minus-70 rating in two seasons with the Storm.

Director of scouting Tim Burke said that Merkley will need to get physically stronger, work on his positioning and puck management skills to evolve into a more well-rounded blue liner.

'He's sometimes trying to win the game every shift, which sometimes leads to some mistakes,' Burke said. 'We've got some work to do with him, but his skill level's so high, we'll get the rest of it straightened out.'

Wilson isn't worried. He believes that Merkley's competitiveness can be exploited to make him a harder player in his own end.

'Sure you can (teach defense),' Wilson said. 'If you've got that attitude that you want to make a difference. There's times where you've got to get the puck back before you can start taking off with it.'

Although Merkley takes responsibility for his reputation, the 17-year old is planning to use his draft day slight as fuel to become the difference maker that the Sharks envision him to be.

'It fires me up because every time someone talks about me it's the top-10 talent, but.,' Merkley said. 'I had 20 teams pass on me. It makes me want to be better and show them wrong.'