Dakota Mermis Signs With OHL's London Knights

(above) Dakota Mermis with London Knights coach Dale Hunter
The OHL London Knights called a press conference on Sunday to announce the signing of University of Denver defenseman Dakota Mermis.  DU was rotating seven defensemen this season and it appears Mermis wanted a larger role.

Mermis was a 12th round pick of the London Knights in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection Draft. Knights forward Alex Broadhurst played with Mermis on the Green Bay Gamblers last season.

Meanwhile his brother, Jarrod Mermis, spent much of the season suspended from the Pioneers linup, so that may of played a role in Dakota's departure.

Much of DU's troubles in December were due to lack of depth at forward.  With three goaltenders and seven defensemen on scholarship, DU did not have the depth to withstand any injuries.  When those injuries inevitably occurred on the frontline, DU went from a 9-1-0 start to a 0-5-3 tailspin.

The ship appeared to be righted when DU upset Boston University 6-0 on Saturday night.  Now the Mermis departure will add to the challenges facing this young team.


17 comments:

dggoddard said...

Wow this is a shock.

You'd expect a play to leave over XMAS Break, so one has to conclude that something happened to extend Jarrod's suspension and the family wasn't happy about it.

My initial reaction is that we won't see Jarrod on the team next year now that Dakota has bolted.

These moves will hurt this year, but no doubt a lot of space just opened up on the roster next year.

Likely Gage Ausmus and Landon Smith will be penciled in to replace them.

Jordan said...

Bummer. I thought he had already shown some more presence and potential than, say, William Wrenn had when he left.

old pio said...

This is definitely NOT what we had in mind with "release the Mermis."
And it may be we're looking at releasing all the Mermi! @#$%^&

Icekicker said...

I have been a fan of the Mermis brothers for many years. I've had many opportunities to watch them play against my sons. In my opinion, these are two separate matters. Jarrod is nursing an injury while Dakota was not being utilized to his full potential at DU. Jarrod brings energy and excitement to the DU team...which they need. I wish the Mermis brothers the best of luck, both on and off the ice. They are truly remarkable young men. Again this is just my opinion.

Nincompoop said...

Wow. Damn...... this sure goes in the "who woulda thunk" category. Whatever.... we've got Cornell itching to get on the Magness ice - and rest assured, they could give a shit less about this. All they want to do is leave Colorado with 2 W's. Duck feathers boys, duck feathers......

5BWest said...

I am old school when it comes to leaving teams during the season. I told my kids, when the season starts, they are committed for that season. At the end of the season, they can do what they want. They own that to their school, their coaches, and most importantly, their teammates. Plus, there is very little benefit Dakota Mermis will get in half a season in the minor leagues. This is a case of bad judgment where neither party wins.

On the other hand, as a teammate, I would just as soon have him quit the team than be a cancer if there are personal issues. The only other reason for the timing may be academic as the new quarter is just sarting.

Not good news - I thought he was a good player when he was on the ice.


Nincompoop said...

Wonder if this was really a grades/eligibility issue? I believe this also again puts the spotlight on the 4 goalie situation, and how DU mis-managed it. I know that's hard to hear right now, at a time when the DU fill-in guy is one of the best goalies in the country....but I believe DU jacked that whole situation up totally.

Crazy L said...

At least he waited until some of the other guys got healthy. These rumors were swirling for awhile now. Too bad, kid looked good out there.

dggoddard said...

No way that grades were an issue. One or both parents are teachers & he had a 4.0 in high school.

This is about getting drafted by an NHL team. Clearly he feels that he needs a.) more games b.) more playing time and c.) power play shifts.

TJ Fast, William Wrenn, Keith Seabrook & now Dakota Mermis, all big-name Dmen who weren't happy with their playing time/utilization at DU who skipped out up North. Probably many other similarities as well.

anonevermore said...

Honestly, it's kind of lame of the kid to not have the foresight to anticipate this. If you skip out on your team three months into your college career, you obviously have no life planning skills, and no realistic view of your own hockey playing abilities. I know kids are immature, but you gotta do a little better than this with your planning.

vizoroo said...

Wrenn is the only mid-season departure still playing--Alaska Aces,

Icekicker said...

How is the kid supposed to foresee this? Do you honestly think that Dakota Mermis is the kind of kid that showed up to Denver expecting to leave? Does any kid? When colleges promise the world to these hockey players before they come in, this is the kind of thing that happens. And its NOT lame at all. He made a decision for his personal career and I believe that needs to be respected. As far as not having life planning skills, I guess time will tell. Maybe one day he'll spend his days talking about 18 year olds on a blog.... who knows? Anyway, you have certainly moved on Dakota and in case you're reading this, GOOD LUCK in London!!!!

old pio said...

Icekicker or shitkicker, it's all the same to me. You're begging the quesstion aren't you? Assuming DU "promised the world" to this kid. I don't know if he's the kind of kid "that showed up. . .expecting to leave." I just know he did. He reneged on his implicit promise to stay at least a season. You'd be on here bitching your ass off if DU kicked him to the curb for less than expected performance, and you'd be right. He put himself ahead of his team. He left his teammates in the lurch. How is that not lame? And, just exactly what is the age limit for commenting on selfishness? 18 or 28, what difference does it make? YOU respect his decision. I don't.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
old pio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
anonevermore said...

Old pio, it seems like you have have some anger management issues you need to address. Chill out, it sounded like Icekicker was originally responding to my comment, not yours. You don't need to personally insult someone for having a different opinion than you do. I stated that I thought it was lame for Mermis to leave so early in his college career, and a guy who apparently knows Mermis added a comment to defend him. It's called a dialogue. You don't need to spew your vitriol as a knee jerk reaction every time someone disagrees with your opinions.

old pio said...

Practicing sophistry without a license again, I see.