Jon Merrill

BIOGRAPHY

Jon Merrill was born February 3, 1992 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a defenseman in the National Hockey League.

Merrill was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 2nd round (38th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. On March 27, 2013, the New Jersey Devils signed Merrill to a three-year entry-level contract, and he began the 2013–14 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Albany Devils. In the 2013–14 season, Merrill made his NHL debut on November 3, 2013. He scored his first NHL goal on February 7, 2014, a game winner in overtime against Ilya Bryzgalov of the Edmonton Oilers, making him the first Devil to score his first NHL goal in overtime. On June 21, 2017, Merrill was selected in the NHL Expansion Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. On January 16, 2018, Merrill signed a two-year, $2.75 million contract extension with the Golden Knights. After three seasons as an original member of the Golden Knights, Merrill left the club as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, $925,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings on October 9, 2020. In the shortened 2020–21 season, Merrill registered 5 assists in 36 games from the blueline for the Red Wings before he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Montreal Canadiens on April 11, 2021. Merrill made 13 further regular season appearances with the Canadiens, going scoreless, before featuring in 13 playoff games in helping Montreal reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a free agent from the Canadiens, Merrill joined his fifth NHL organization in agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Wild on a one-year, $850,000 contract on July 29, 2021. On January 11 2022, Merrill was signed to a three-year, $3.6 million extension with the Wild.