Former first-round NHL pick Ryan Merkley joins DEL-leading Straubing Tigers. Can his dynamic offensive game revitalize his career overseas?
Canadian defenseman Ryan Merkley, 25, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season for the Straubing Tigers, the DEL club announced on Monday.
It marks the third club in three years for the former first-round draft pick since heading overseas in 2023.
“Ryan is a creative, dynamic defenseman with exceptional puck control,” said Tigers sports director Jason Dunham. “He brings exactly the playing style we were looking for and will add extra quality to our defense.”
Straubing currently leads the DEL standings, winning 15 of its first 19 games. The club’s roster includes ex-NHLers Wade Allison and Nicolas Beaudin.
Born in Oakville, Ont., Merkley played junior hockey for the OHL’s Guelph Storm and had a spectacular 2017-18 season with 67 points in 63 games from the back end, and was chosen to play for Canada that season at both the Ivan Hlinka Memorial and the IIHF U-18 World Championship. He was subsequently chosen in the first round, 21st overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
While he followed that up with two more solid junior seasons, his offensive abilities did not transfer to the pros, as he produced just 53 total points over 129 AHL games between 2019 and 2023. In 39 NHL games with the Sharks in 2021-22, Merkley scored one goal and added five assists, eight penalty minutes, and was a minus-10.
Merkley also briefly played in the Colorado Avalanche organization but was never called up to the big club.
Merkley spent the past two seasons in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star and Avangard Omsk, recording 49 points and 94 penalty minutes in 112 games. He left Avangard on March 1, late in the regular season, “due to the player’s family-related situation,” according to the club.
