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Report: Devils Prospect Jon Merrill likely joining OHL's Plymouth Whalers

October 20, 2011, 3:57 PM ET [ Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
According to several OHL writers, insiders, and a report from Michigan Daily, New Jersey Devils prospect defensive prospect Jon Merrill may leave Michigan to join the OHL.

As I noted in a recent blog I wrote, Merrill's OHL rights are owned by the Plymouth Whalers, so if and when he leaves the NCAA for the OHL, that's where he will play.

Merrill, 19, is currently serving a 12 game suspension that he was given by the University of Michigan for violating a team policy.

If and when Merrill decides to leave Michigan for the Ontario Hockey League, he will serve as a huge boost to an already solid team in the Plymouth Whalers.

In anticipation of someone asking for my opinion on this, I will give it before hand. I really hope Merrill joins the Whalers, and not just because of the fact I'll get to see him play a few times. Not only do I feel the OHL is a better developmental league for players than the NCAA, but in the OHL Merrill will get to play in more games which is huge for development. It's hard to develop as a player when you can't play.

This will be an interesting story to follow over the next few days.

Side note: I'll be attending the Barrie Colts / Owen Sound Attack game tonight. Though I won't have a game recap up at TheHockeyGuys.net, this will help me get a better grasp on potential first round picks such as Eric Locke (Barrie) and Jarrod Maidens (Owen Sound) for my November draft rankings that will be released at TheHockeyGuys.net November 1st. With that said, my partner in crime Brendan Ross will also be contributing to the rankings.

I almost forgot: make sure you check out the latest edition of the HockeyBuzz hotstove. We discuss Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

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