Dawson Mercer made his NHL and New Jersey Devils debut on Oct. 15, 2021, and never looked back.
Now, the 23-year-old has 305 career games under his belt, as he has never missed a professional game. The Bay Roberts native quickly became a fan favorite and, in September, signed a three-year contract extension.
After a recent practice, The Hockey News sat with Mercer for a mini Q&A. During the interview, he spoke about his love for the game, career trajectory, and more.
The Hockey News: Lisa Kudrow has publicly spoken about how it took a few years to settle into her Friends character, Phoebe Buffay. How long did it take you to get comfortable and understand what it takes to be an NHLer, day in and day out?
Dawson Mercer: I think my second season when we had such a great regular season and won the first playoff round. That really gave me an idea of how good and how fast the league is when you get to the playoffs. It kind of gave a really good realistic (view) of the way the NHL is.
For me, it all worked out pretty nicely. Coming in, we had a young team and a good group, so it was a nice and comfortable situation to walk into. Obviously, being a young team, there was a lot of the development side of it. I felt like my first year was super focused on improving and feeling better. Then, the next year, we had that great season, so I felt like the timeline really worked out well for me and made the fit pretty smooth.
THN: Is there a particular moment in your career that you would love to show to your younger self to say this is going to be you in the future?
Mercer: I would have said the draft, but mine was online, so I am not going to say that. The outdoor game, the Stadium Series, was pretty sick. Playing in an NHL Stadium Series game under the lights in the snow was pretty cool.
THN: Was there ever a moment in your career when you started to lose your love for the game?
Mercer: Lose my love? No, I wouldn't say that.
We have been doing this since we were kids. It is fun to come here, and like I said, with the group that we have here, it is a great mentality, and it is fun. Overall, this is what we dreamed of, so no, you don't lose it.
THN: What has hockey given you?
Mercer: Well, all these opportunities.
For instance, if I weren't a hockey player, I probably wouldn't be living in the USA right now, next to New York City. I wouldn't have traveled the world. Hockey has taken me to Prague and, you know, the World Championships. Travel is a big thing. I have seen so many different cities in the U.S., and I think it has really opened up my perspective of the world. For me, being from a small place like Newfoundland, I think it is an eye-opener to experience all these travel destinations and meet new people.
THN: Was there ever a moment in your life, even dating back to when you were a little kid, that you wanted to quit hockey?
Mercer: No, not for me.
I did love it when the winter season was over because I was a big believer in playing other sports. In the summer, I played soccer, I was a swimmer, and I played ball hockey. I was super committed to switching up and being a multi-sport athlete. In terms of not wanting to play hockey, I will say I was excited to play other sports, but I never thought I didn't want to play hockey anymore.
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