A former New Jersey Devils forward has found his new home.
The Shanghai Dragons of the KHL have announced that they have signed former Devils forward Nicholas Merkley.
Merkley spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons as a member of the Devils. In 31 games with the Metropolitan Division club during that span, he recorded three goals, nine assists, 12 points, 37 hits, and a minus-5 rating. His time with the Devils ended during the 2021 NHL off-season when he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Christian Jaros.
After splitting the 2021-22 campaign between the Sharks and Harford Wolf Pack, Merkley took his talents overseas to play for Minsk Dynamo of the KHL. Since then, he has played in each of the last three seasons in the KHL, and he will be staying there for a fourth consecutive year after signing this new deal with the Dragons.
In 59 games this past season with Yekaterinburg Automobilst, Merkley posted 11 goals, 20 points, 40 penalty minutes, and a plus-5 rating. This was after he posted 16 goals and 32 points in 65 games with Dynamo Minsk during the 2023-24 season.
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