OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week: Ryan Merkley

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that 2018 NHL Draft prospect Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm is the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week for the week ending November 12 after scoring one goal with five assists for six points in two games with a plus-minus rating of plus-4.

Merkley becomes the first defenceman to earn the award this season after recording two multi-point performances last week helping the Storm to a pair of victories.  On Friday night he scored once and added an assist as part of a 6-2 win over the North Bay Battalion, then collected a career-high four assists on Sunday as first star of a 5-1 win over the Sudbury Wolves.  The two weekend wins give the Storm three straight lifting them into a second place tie in the OHL’s Midwest Division with 22 points from a 10-7-0-2 record.

A 17-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., Merkley is playing in his second season with the Storm after being chosen first overall in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection and earning OHL Rookie of the Year honours.  The first round candidate in NHL Central Scouting’s October ‘Players to Watch’ list leads the Storm in scoring and is currently second among OHL defencemen with 24 points in 19 games including six goals and 18 assists.

Watch video highlights of Merkley and the Storm against the Battalion and Wolves.

Also considered for the award this week were a pair of Philadelphia Flyers prospects including Matthew Strome of the Hamilton Bulldogs who scored three goals and three assists for six points in two games, and Morgan Frost of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds with three goals and two assists for five points in two games.  In goal, Justin Fazio of the Sarnia Sting posted a 1-0-1-0 record including a shutout victory making 72 saves for a goals-against-average of 1.98 and save percentage of .926.

2017-18 OHL ‘On the Run’ Players of the Week:
Nov. 6 – Nov. 12: Ryan Merkley (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5: Albert Michnac (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 29: Aaron Luchuk (Windsor Spitfires)
Oct. 16 – Oct. 22: Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 15: Brady Hinz (Sarnia Sting)
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack)
Sept. 25 – Oct. 1: Jonathan Ang (Peterborough Petes)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 24: Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires)