Ryan Merkley is an incredibly divisive prospect in this draft. His rankings vary a lot depending on how much value is attributed to the reports of his attitude problems. Scouts have trouble seeing in him someone who will have the drive to become a professional; a player that will easily fit in the culture teams work so hard to establish.
Birthplace: Oakville, Ontario
Date of birth: August 14th, 2000
Shoots: Right
Position: Defence
Height: 5’11’’
Weight: 170 lbs.
Team: Guelph Storm (OHL):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11540917/E_P.png)
The psychological element in drafting has always been important, but is now being refined more than ever as teams try to separate which prospect has “it.