Devils prospect Dawson Mercer could become a star for Team Canada.
Just a few weeks ago, Dawson Mercer looked like he was going to be the fourth-line center for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. That would have been fine since the Canadians have an extremely stacked team going into this year’s tournament. He was still going to play with some really good players. He could have been paired with players like Dylan Holloway, Jack Quinn, or Seth Jarvis, all 1st-round picks taken ahead of Mercer in the NHL Draft.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Mercer rocketed up the lineup. On the Let’s Go Devils’ Podcast, Joshua Bell with FC Hockey predicted Mercer would be the team’s first-line center, starting ahead of names like Quinton Byfield and Dylan Cozens. This article by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has Team Canada moving Mercer to the right wing so he can play alongside Kirby Dach and Connor McMichael. He’d be playing with two 2019 1st-round picks who both exceeded expectations last season.
Mercer could be getting great experience now. Not only is he on the outright favorite to win the tournament, but he’s getting to play with some of the best young players in the world. Mercer will learn how to play with immense expectations and learn how to exceed them. He can bring that experience to the New Jersey Devils next season, where the expectations should be higher as they add young players like Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote, and Reilly Walsh to a team that already has Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Jesper Boqvist all under the age of 23.
Mercer got some experience at last year’s World Juniors, where he played seven games but failed to record a point. Still, his gold medal is just as strong as Alexis Lafrenière’s. That experience is invaluable.
This year, he’s going to be contributing just about everywhere. In a very small sample size, Mercer has been really good for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens to start the season. He has seven points in five games after scoring 18 points in 16 games after he was traded there last season. After the WJC, Mercer should play even better.
Mercer has shown that he can play with the big boys. The Devils had to be surprised when he fell to them at 18 this year. He was someone who was expected to go in the early-to-mid teens. The Devils got a gem in the draft to add to their very impressive selection of prospects. If he does end up on Canada’s top line, it would be the best possible experience.