I’ve never seen a player who can pass like Ryan Merkley. The San Jose Sharks 2018 first-rounder makes all the passes one expects from a high-end passer: The cross-slot pass, pressured or unpressured, on the backhand or forehand.



But Merkley also made the 80-foot lob passes that land perfectly for a teammate, or the saucer passes from the top corner of the blue line through eight bodies onto the tape of a teammate sitting far post. Until one saw him do it time-after-time, it was easy to think these were one-offs or luck.



Merkley’s playmaking was such a cheat code that the Guelph Storm could structure the breakout, the offensive zone strategy, and power play around it — until they couldn’t anymore. With limited progression and bad habits, no effort, and turnovers abounding, Guelph shipped Merkley — the most talented defenseman in the OHL — away, in a year where they ended up winning the title. His stint in Peterborough...