Jonathon Merrill (born February 3, 1992) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

for the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. The Devils selected Merrill in the second round, 38th overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Merrill was born February 3, 1992, in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

. His family moved to

Grand Blanc, Michigan Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County, Michigan, Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint, Michigan, Flint. The population was 7,784 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 US Census. It is part of the Flint metrop ...

, three years later, and Merrill began playing ice hockey with his older brother at the age of four. He went on to play

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

with the Detroit Little Caesars youth team, appearing with the team at the 2004

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

. A childhood fan of the

's (NHL)

, Merrill was selected as one of the team's flag bearers during the

2006 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League (NHL) championship began on April 21, 2006, following the 2005–06 NHL season, 2005–06 regular season. This was the first playoffs since 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs, 2004 due to the 2 ...

. In high school, Merrill spent two years with the

USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) represents the United States in the IIHF World U18 Championship. Additionally the team plays domestically against opponents in the United States Hockey League (under-17 and under-18 t ...

(NTDP), based not far from his home in

Brighton, Michigan Brighton is a city in Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,446. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area. It is one of two incorporated cities in Livingston County ...

. During the 2009–10 season, Merrill had one

goal A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to ...

and eight assists in 22 games for the NTDP. During his time at the NTDP, he and three other players, including Matt Nieto, were suspended for sexual harassment and lewd behaviour.

Playing career

College

Prior to turning professional, Merrill played NCAA college hockey with the

Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey The Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Earning varsity status in 1922, the program has competed in 102 seasons. Between 1959 and 1981, the ...

team. Merrill was suspended for the first 12 games of the 2011–12 season by the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

for "violating team rules."

Professional

New Jersey Devils (2013–2017)

On March 27, 2013, the New Jersey Devils signed Merrill to a three-year entry-level contract, and he began the 2013–14 season in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) with the

Albany Devils The Albany Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The top affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the A-Devils played their home games at the Times Union Center in Albany, ...

. In the 2013–14 season, Merrill made his NHL debut on November 3, 2013, skating with the Devils in a game against the

Xcel Energy Center Xcel Energy Center is a multipurpose arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Completed in 2000 and often called "The X" by fans, it is named for its locally based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 17,954, the arena ...

, but less than five minutes into he game he fell into the boards, sustaining severe facial lacerations and a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

. He scored his first NHL goal on February 7, 2014, a game winner in overtime against

Ilya Bryzgalov Ilya Nikolayevich Bryzgalov (; ; born 22 June 1980) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and Minneso ...

of the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, making him the first Devil to score his first NHL goal in overtime.

Vegas Golden Knights (2017–2020)

On June 21, 2017, Merrill was selected in the NHL Expansion Draft by the

. On January 16, 2018, Merrill signed a two-year, $2.75 million contract extension with the Golden Knights.

Detroit Red Wings (2020–2021)

After three seasons as an original member of the Golden Knights, Merrill left the club as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, $925,000 contract with the

on October 9, 2020. In the shortened 2020–21 season, Merrill registered five assists in 36 games from the blueline for the Red Wings before he was dealt at the trade deadline to the

in exchange for Hayden Verbeek and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on April 11, 2021.

Montreal Canadiens (2021)

Merrill made 13 further regular season appearances with the Canadiens, going scoreless, before featuring in 13 playoff games in helping Montreal reach the

2021 Stanley Cup Finals The 2021 Stanley Cup Finals was the Stanley Cup Finals, championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2020–21 NHL season, 2020–21 season and the culmination of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was between the 2020–21 ...

before falling to the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

Minnesota Wild (2021–present)

As a free agent from the Canadiens, Merrill joined his fifth NHL organization in agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Wild on a one-year, $850,000 contract on July 29, 2021. On January 11, 2022, Merrill was signed to a three-year, $3.6 million extension with the Wild.

International play

Merrill first represented the United States internationally at the

2009 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships were held in Fargo, North Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota, Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. The championships ran from April 9 to April 19, 2009. Games were played at the Urban Plains C ...

, where he recorded two assists in seven games en route to a gold medal victory over

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. He won another gold medal the next year at the

2010 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships was the 12th edition of the IIHF World U18 Championship. The tournament was held in Minsk and Babruysk, Belarus, between April 13 and April 23, 2010. Tournament games were played at the Minsk Sports Palace in ...

, recording one assist in seven games and being named one of the top three Team USA players in the tournament.

Personal life

Jon is married to Jessica Merrill. Together, they are advocates for the

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

community He spoke out against the NHL policy banning teams from wearing themed jerseys, specifically Pride Night jerseys, after several players across the league sat out of warm-ups instead of wearing the jerseys on Pride nights. Jon and Jessica were named "2024 Allies of the Year" for

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

Pride.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Jon 1992 births Living people Albany Devils players American men's ice hockey defensemen Detroit Red Wings players Ice hockey people from Oklahoma Ice hockey players from Michigan Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players Minnesota Wild players Montreal Canadiens players New Jersey Devils draft picks New Jersey Devils players Sportspeople from Brighton, Michigan Sportspeople from Oklahoma City Vegas Golden Knights players 21st-century American sportsmen