Prospect Spotlight - Charlie Merkley
Birth Year : 2001
Height : 5 ft 11 in
Weight : 194 lbs
Position : Forward
Hometown - Fairport , NY
Current Team : Charlotte Rush USPHL Premier
Stats
2020-2021 - Charlotte Rush (USPHL Premier)
23GP 21G 15A 36Pts
2019-2020 - Brockville Braves (CCHL)
51GP 1G 5A 6Pts
What makes him a prospect?
Merkley comes to Charlotte after spending the 2019-2020 season in the CCHL with the Brockville Braves where he played in 51 games totaling six points. Since January 1, Merkley has been on a tremendous tear scoring 14 goals and adding 4 assists. Merkley is a natural goal scorer who does a tremendous job of finding soft areas of the ice. Playing in the center position he is reliable in all three zone's and thrives in the third man high position in the offensive zone. He is not afraid to battle for loose pucks or play physical in his own end and always takes care of his net front. If given any sort of time and space Merkley will find a way to put the puck in the net. His IQ is pretty high and he works smart on the ice by taking good routes while supporting the play.
Areas To Improve On
What he needs to improve on: His constant motor, there are times where Merkley does have a tendency to stop moving his feet. If he combines his skating ability with his routes to the puck and becomes consistently tenacious to the puck there could be another level of his game that he can get too.
Overall
At the collegiate level, Merkley could be a very nice 2 to 3rd line center who can put the puck in the net regularly. He will be used on your power play and will be comfortable playing in all spots on the power play. He is a smart player whose game translates well, as 19 year old he still has some time to develop as well.