TSN’S Mckenzie has Mercer slotted 13th overall for draft

Most scouts polled see him going in top half the opening round

After establishing himself as a first-round prospect this past fall, Newfoundlander Dawson Mercer now looks to be working at securing a place as a player who will go in the top half of the opening round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft this June in Montreal,

On Thursday, TSN’S Bob Mckenzie outlined his mid-season predictions for the first round of the draft, and he had Mercer, an 18-year-old forward from Bay Roberts, ranked at 13th overall. That’s based on polling of 10 NHL scouts, eight of whom pegged Mercer as at least a top-15 pick in the 31-player draft.

Mckenzie did note that Mercer, who plays both centre and right wing, hadn’t scored a goal in his first five games with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens since coming over from the Drummondville Voltiguers in a trade announced in early January.

Still, Mckenzie had Mercer a player worth watching as he revealed those prospects ranked from 11 to 20 on his list.

Mercer did have five assists in his first games with the Sagueneens, who sit second overall in the QMJHL, and has 47 points (18G, 29A) overall in 31 games between Drummondville and Chicoutimi.

When the current season began, Mercer wasn’t tagged as a first-rounder, but his fast start to the season, followed by a strong performance in the CHL Canada-russia series, saw him bumped up to A prospect —or first-round candidate — by NHL Central Scouting.

By the time Mercer had been part of Canada’s gold medal-winning effort at the world junior championship in the Czech Republic, he was routinely listed as a first-round pick by the various draft prognosticators in mainstream and online media, with the majority slotting him — like Mckenzie — in the mid-range of the opening round.

In its updated projections earlier this month, NHL Central Scouting had Mercer rated sixth overall among North American-based forwards and defencemen. European players and goaltenders are ranked separately.

BRANDON TAYLOR/ CHL IMAGES His selection as an assistant captain for Team Red at the Kubota NHL/CHL Top Prospects game in Hamilton last month was just another indication Dawson Mercer has solidified himself as a top-ranked player for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.