Dawson Mercer (born October 27, 2001) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, 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 ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). He was drafted 18th overall by the Devils in the

2020 NHL Entry Draft The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the 58th NHL Entry Draft, held from October 6–7, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pan ...

Early life

Mercer was born on October 27, 2001, in

Bay Roberts Bay Roberts ( 2016 Population 6,012; Census Agglomeration 11,083) is located on the north shore of Conception Bay on the northeastern Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The growth of the local economy can ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

to parents Charlotte and Craig. His father is a powerline technician while his mother manages a convenience store. His father also coached in the Conception Bay North area and had a tryout with the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

’s

St. John's Maple Leafs The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was ...

. Besides his father, both of his younger siblings also play ice hockey; his brother is a goaltender while his sister is a defenceman. His cousin Zachery Bennett also plays ice hockey.

Playing career

Junior

Growing up in Newfoundland, Mercer played for the Tri Pen Ice U15 AAA in the Newfoundland Bantam AAA league. After recording 68 points in 24 games, Mercer chose to play prep hockey with the

Bishop's College School Bishop's College School or BCS is an English-language non-profit independent boarding prep school in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada for students in Grades 7 to 12.Thomson, Ashley; Lafortune, Sylvie (1999). Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools. To ...

under-18 varsity team at the age of 15. He chose to leave his home province in part to increase his playing ability and join his cousin. In his first season at Bishop, he finished third in scoring with 18 goals and 30 assists through 51 games to earn a high ranking by the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...

's (QMJHL) Central Scouting. Mercer was eventually drafted eighth overall by the

Drummondville Voltigeurs The Drummondville Voltigeurs are a junior ice hockey team of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise was originally granted for the 1982–83 season, and is based in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, playing its home games at th ...

in the 2017 QMJHL Draft. As a rookie in the QMJHL, Mercer recorded 26 points through 68 games. During the season, he was selected for Team Canada's Black U17 team at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. In the 2019–20 season, he finished with 60 points in 42 games and was nominated for the

Michael Bossy Trophy The Michael Bossy Trophy ('' French:Trophée Michael Bossy'') is awarded annually to the player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League judged to be the best professional prospect. The award is named after former New York Islanders forward Mike B ...

Professional

On December 24, 2020, Mercer was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the

. He made his NHL debut the following season on October 15, 2021, against the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

. During the game, he recorded his first career NHL assist on a goal by Andreas Johnsson. On October 19, Mercer scored his first NHL goal against the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

International play

Mercer won a gold medal playing for Team Canada in the

2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2020 Ice Hockey World Junior Championships (''2020 WJC'') was the 44th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It began on December 26, 2019, and ended with the gold medal game being played on January 5, 2020. Canada defeated Ru ...

. He again represented Canada at the

2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2021 WJHC'') were the 45th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It began on December 25, 2020, and ended with the gold medal game on January 5, 2021. This marked the 16th time that ...

, and won a silver medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* 2001 births Living people Bishop's College School alumni Canadian ice hockey centres Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) players Drummondville Voltigeurs players Ice hockey people from Newfoundland and Labrador National Hockey League first-round draft picks New Jersey Devils draft picks New Jersey Devils players {{Canada-icehockey-centre-stub