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Ryan Merkley

#6 · Defence · San Jose Sharks

Born Aug 14, 2000 in Oakville, Ontario, CAN · 6'0", 186 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 21st overall in 2018 by SJS (round 1)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2021-22. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Andrej Sustr ANA · 6 P in 38 GP Casey Fitzgerald BUF · 6 P in 36 GP Joel Hanley DAL · 6 P in 44 GP Urho Vaakanainen ANA · 6 P in 29 GP Joshua Brown BOS · 6 P in 52 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below.

2021-22 season totals

2021-22 analytics

Rating

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 242 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Provisional: under 40 games it is more chance than player. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 636 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 241 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log