Ryan Merkley of team GTHL Blue hoists the 2016 OHL Gold Cup trophy, helping his team beat Alliance Hockey 6-1 in the final. (Photo courtesy of the Ontario Hockey Federation.)Ryan Merkley of team GTHL Blue hoists the 2016 OHL Gold Cup trophy, helping his team beat Alliance Hockey 6-1 in the final. (Photo courtesy of the Ontario Hockey Federation.)
Midwestern

Guelph Storm Prospect Merkley Leads Team To OHL Gold Cup

The OHL Gold Cup wrapped up for another year on Sunday, and a familiar team came out on top.

For the second year in a row, team GTHL Blue won the Cup, defeating Alliance Hockey in a rematch of last year's final, by a score of 6-1. GTHL Blue went 5-0 in the tournament and never trailed at any point, and at the center of their success was 2016 OHL 1st overall pick Ryan Merkley, a future member of the Guelph Storm.

Merkley tied for 3rd in tournament scoring with 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists), and was a monster on the man advantage, helping a deadly GTHL Blue squad run over most of their opponents. The team featured 6 1st round pick in this year's OHL draft, including Danill Antropov, whom Merkley consistently worked with on the man advantage and penalty kill. Despite concerns over his size, weighing just 156 pounds, Merkley took plenty of punishment and dished it right back, and led his team to the championship. He spoke about winning it all, and how playing in the tournament will help him prep for the OHL.

"It's a huge honour to win obviously, we all bought in and played so well and had chemistry right away. Obviously, playing against the best of the best in the province, and taking a lot of hits and being targeted a lot will help me out next year when I join Guelph. It was a lot of fun to be here."

The tournament annually features the very best U-16 players in the province on regional all-star teams. Hockey Canada use it as a final proving ground for invites to the U-17 Worlds camp in the summer, and many OHL GM's and scouts were on hand to keep tabs on their future talent. It is certainly safe to say, having been there to see and call the whole event, that Merkley certainly set himself apart from the pack and proved why he went 1st overall. Guelph fans, and potentially Hockey Canada fans, have a lot to look forward to from this impressive young defenseman.

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