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| (above) Mike Chambers sheds some light on Dakota Mermis' departure |
Mike Chambers of the Denver Post penned an article today portraying a player that hasn't been happy with his coaching, his utilization or his playing time on his last three teams.
Whether the unhappiness stems from overbearing parents, pressure from family advisers or the
player himself or a combination of all three is not answered.
Like an onion, its going to take time to peel back the true story about Dakota Mermis' departure from the University of Denver. Many will ask why this departure different from the half dozen or so other student athletes that left their teams over the XMAS Break or the dozens of other players who choose major juniors over college hockey every year.
Dakota Mermis is not an elite hockey player at this time. He was battling for playing time with six other players, most of whom had statistics and performance far superior than Dakota's.
This was not a major recruiting coup for the London Knights. They did not acquire a player who will be a sure-fire NHL prospect.
This was a loss for the University of Denver, because Dakota Mermis was well on his way to becoming a very steady, reliable defenseman over the next three or four seasons. In time he could of developed into a leader and perhaps a star. It takes even the best players years, not months, to develop to an elite defenseman in the WCHA.
Dakota left DU to pursue his dream of playing in the NHL. Sooner or later he's going to discover that sixth men at DU rarely transition to NHL stardom.
Dakota left DU to pursue his dream of playing in the NHL. Sooner or later he's going to discover that sixth men at DU rarely transition to NHL stardom.
4 comments:
It's a Mermystery for sure. About both brothers. I hope Jarrod gets his head cleared and returns. I'm not as hot about Dakota's defection as I was, but it's still a bush league move. More importantly, from his perspective as Chambers indicates, it's not likely to get him to the "show." However it ends for him hockey-wise, he won't have a degree. I think DG's on to something. Dakota's been told for years that he's the greatest thing since beignets. Can we blame him for coming to believe it?
It's a shame we lost Dakota mid-season, but if Dakota is a kid searching for gold at the end of the rainbow, there's not much DU could have done. If he's a guy who is always looking for a greener pasture, he'll be looking for a while. We turn the page and wish him well.
Hopefully Jarrod gets back on the ice soon for DU.
Before Dakota decided to bolt from DU he should have reached out to Wm Wrenn and T J Fast to see how their decision to leave early has worked out for them.
It seems to me that players have to earn playing time. I wish Dakota well but I suspect he will look back on this as a mistake.
Former NHLer and DU Alum Mark Rycroft had a few choice words about Dakota's decision on the pregame show. Lets just say he wasn't a fan of the decision and leave it at that.
If quitting the team after things didn't go as planned was a good idea, Chris Knowlton should of bolted DU after his Sophomore season. He only had seven goals and five assists in his first two seasons at DU.
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