A Chat With Jay Merkley: The Canes' First Overall Pick

Things have quieted down for the Lethbridge Hurricanes since the WHL's bantam draft at the end of April.

The Canes' took Calgary Bison sniper Jay (Johnathon) Merkley with their first pick, third overall in the draft. Merkley is a 5' 10, 160 pound center who had 30 goals and 41 assists for 71 points and 32 minutes in penalties in 33 games for the Bisons, good enough for fifth in scoring in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League in 09-10. After picking Merkley, Canes' Assistant G.M. Brad Robson said, "Jay is a tremendous skater with good speed and acceleration combined with very good goal scoring ability, great hands and stick skills. He has the potential to be a franchise player for us in the future."

I had a chance to speak with the young Jay Merkley (his dad's name is Jay as well) on Monday to get his thoughts about being a Lethbridge Hurricane:

Pat: How does it feel to get selected third overall in the entire WHL bantam draft?

Merkley: "Well, it was pretty exciting for me. I really didn't know if I would go that high or not, but it's really an honour for me and I'm excited to be going to Lethbridge."

Pat: Being such a high draft pick, do you feel any added pressure to perform once you're old enough to play in the WHL for the Canes'?

Merkley: "Yeah, there's definitely some pressure, but you can't put pressure on yourself. You just have to go out there and play your game. I'm just going to try and keep it cool and play my own game. "

Pat: Did you speak with the Hurricane prior to the draft?

Merkley: "Yeah, I talked to them the night before and I felt pretty strongly that they were going to pick me. I got pretty excited!"

Pat: Tell me a little about Jay Merkley. What kind of player are you and what will you bring to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the future?

Merkley: "I would describe myself as basically a goal scorer. That's what I do. I'm a play-maker, goal scorer. I had a 70 point season this year. I don't know, I'm just good around the net."

Pat: The Hurricanes drafted four players in the first two rounds on April 29th, including yourself. Do you know any of the other three players?

Merkley: "I know a few of them. I'm pretty excited for the chance to play with some of them for the first time instead of playing against them. They seem like a good bunch of guys."

Pat: "What has Coach/G.M. Rich Preston told you he expects from Jay Merkley once you have a chance to actually play for the Lethbridge Hurricanes?

Merkley: "Well, from what I've heard they have a lot of expectations for me to be their big, top number one forward, their go-to guy on the power play and stuff. I was reading on a website actually that the Hurricanes expect me to be a franchise player. That's pretty exciting for me too. I guess, it's a bunch of expectations that I've got to live up to."

Merkey also told me that he plans to attend the Hurricanes camp this coming August to meet the rest of the Hurricanes players and get a feel for the organization.

Thanks,
Pat