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Dawson Mercer

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Dawson Mercer
Mercer with the New Jersey Devils in 2022
Born (2001-10-27) October 27, 2001 (age 23)
Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Centre / Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team New Jersey Devils
National team  Canada
NHL draft 18th overall, 2020
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2021–present

Dawson Mercer (born October 27, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 18th overall by the Devils in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Early life

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Mercer was born on October 27, 2001, in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada[2] to parents Charlotte and Craig.[3] His father is a powerline technician while his mother manages a convenience store.[4] His father also coached in the Conception Bay North area and had a tryout with the American Hockey League’s St. John's Maple Leafs.[3] Besides his father, both of his younger siblings also play ice hockey; his brother Riley Mercer is a goaltender while his sister Jessica Mercer is a defenceman.[5] His cousin Zachery Bennett also plays ice hockey.[6]

Playing career

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Junior

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Growing up in Newfoundland, Mercer played for the Tri Pen Ice U15 AAA in the Newfoundland Bantam AAA league.[2] After recording 68 points in 24 games,[2] Mercer chose to play prep hockey with the Bishop's College School under-18 varsity team at the age of 15.[7] He chose to leave his home province in part to increase his playing ability and join his cousin.[8] In his first season at Bishop, he finished third in scoring with 18 goals and 30 assists through 51 games to earn a high ranking by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's (QMJHL) Central Scouting.[7] Mercer was eventually drafted eighth overall by the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 2017 QMJHL Draft.[9]

As a rookie in the QMJHL, Mercer recorded 26 points through 68 games.[2] During the season, he was selected for Team Canada's Black U17 team at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.[10] In the 2019–20 season, he finished with 60 points in 42 games and was nominated for the Michael Bossy Trophy.[11]

Professional

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On December 24, 2020, Mercer was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the New Jersey Devils.[12] He made his NHL debut the following season on October 15, 2021, against the Chicago Blackhawks. During the game, he recorded his first career NHL assist on a goal by Andreas Johnsson.[13] On October 19, Mercer scored his first NHL goal against the Seattle Kraken.[14] He would finish his rookie season with 42 points, and led the team in games played with 82.

On April 27, 2023, Mercer scored his first NHL playoff goal against the New York Rangers, in a 4–0 shutout in Game 5 of the 2023 playoffs.[15]

Following the final year of his entry-level contract in 2023–24, a season in which he recorded 20 goals and 33 points while playing in all 82 games for the Devils, Mercer remained a restricted free agent until training camp had already started. On September 20, 2024, after missing the first practice of camp, he was signed to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million.[16]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Finland
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2020 Czech Republic
Silver medal – second place 2021 Canada

Mercer made his international debut with the Canadian national junior team at the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Ostrava, winning a gold medal.[17] He rejoined Team Canada for 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, held in a bubble in Edmonton as a result of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reached the final for a second consecutive year, but were defeated by the United States. Mercer reflected that the experience of a tournament with no fans in the arena was a "unique situation," one that he felt was "going to be remembered in history."[18]

Following the 2021–22 NHL regular season, with the Devils failing to qualify for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Mercer accepted an invitation to make his senior national team debut at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. He was one of the most effective faceoff men in the tournament, helping Canada reach the event final.[19] They were defeated by Finland, taking the silver medal.[20] Two years later, Mercer rejoined Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.[21]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 61 11 15 26 25 10 1 3 4 0
2018–19 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 68 30 34 64 50 16 5 11 16 8
2019–20 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 26 18 24 42 21 — — — — —
2019–20 Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL 16 6 12 18 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL 23 19 17 36 6 9 6 11 17 4
2021–22 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 17 25 42 28 — — — — —
2022–23 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 27 29 56 14 12 3 4 7 2
2023–24 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 20 13 33 29 — — — — —
NHL totals 246 64 67 131 71 12 3 4 7 2

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2017 Canada Black U17 7th 5 2 0 2 0
2020 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 0
2021 Canada WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 2 4 6 2
2022 Canada WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 0 5 5 0
2024 Canada WC 4th 9 3 1 4 4
Junior totals 19 4 4 8 2
Senior totals 19 3 6 9 4

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
QMJHL
Guy Carbonneau Trophy 2021 [22]

References

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  1. ^ ROUMELIOTIS, CHARLIE (September 29, 2020). "2020 NHL Draft Profile: RW Dawson Mercer". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dawson Mercer". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Mccarthy, Brendan (October 16, 2021). "NHL debut for Newfoundlander Dawson Mercer was a family affair". Saltwire. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (October 14, 2020). "New Jersey Gets a Beauty in Dawson Mercer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  5. ^ MacLaren, Will (December 31, 2020). "Mercer brothers keeping tradition of strong Newfoundlanders in the "Q" alive and well". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Les cousins Mercer et Bennett : comme des frères" (in French). Drummondville Voltigeurs. September 11, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Short, Robin (June 4, 2017). "Bay Roberts' Dawson Mercer well-prepped to be a QMJHL first-round pick". Saltwire. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Dubé, Kevin (November 12, 2019). "Le sacrifice de Dawson Mercer". Le Journal de Québec. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Repêchage 2017" (in French). Drummondville Voltigeurs. June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Newfoundland trio will skate for Canada in world U17 tourney". The Telegram. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Habashi, Jonathan (March 31, 2020). "Mercer finaliste au trophée Michael-Bossy" (in French). Journal Express. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "RELEASE: Mercer Agrees to Terms on ELC". National Hockey League. December 24, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Bogart, Catherine (October 16, 2021). "Plenty of 'Firsts' in Mercer's Debut". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Mercer Scores First NHL Goal as Devils Defeat Kraken". NHL.com. October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  15. ^ "Haula leads Devils past Rangers 4-0 for 3-2 series lead". ESPN. April 27, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "New Jersey Devils sign RFA Dawson Mercer to three-year, $12M deal". The Sports Network. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Masters, Mark (June 4, 2020). "Touted as Newfoundland's 'Next One,' Mercer aims to emulate Bergeron". TSN. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  18. ^ "Newhook, Mercer reflect on representing Canada at world junior hockey tournament". CBC Sports. January 10, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  19. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (May 28, 2022). "7 truths about Finland vs. Canada". IIHF.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Ellis, Steven (May 29, 2022). "Finland Wins 2022 Men's World Hockey Championship Gold". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  21. ^ "Bedard, Celebrini highlight Canada's roster at the World Championship". TSN. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  22. ^ "Phillip Danault announces the 2021 Guy-Carbonneau Trophy winner". theqmjhl.ca. June 2, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by New Jersey Devils first round draft pick
2020 		Succeeded by
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