Cole Mertz Biography [1/2]

[ColeMrtz 574]

Hometown

    Cole Mertz was born on February 1st, 2000 in Detroit, Michigan, the home of Michigan hockey. He grew up skating, almost since he could walk. His love for the game deepened as he grew up watching the Red Wings playoff streak expand into the 20’s. It was hard not to love the guys on that team, Pavel and Kronwall and the whole lot, but he was always fascinated by one player in particular. Chris Osgood. Arguably the best Wings goalie of the modern era Osgood inspired many young goalies to take up the position, and Mertz was one of them.

Mertz started out playing house out of DSC, not because it was the best program for him to play on, but because it was one of the cheapest. His early career was less than spectacular, but it didn’t deter him. He started doing training over the summer, with camps around the Metro Detroit area. He did goaltending camps in Troy, camps in Fraiser, camps wherever someone had ice. He played drop-in whenever he could, and ultimately he ended up going from being hardly able to stop a puck to one of the best goalies in the state.

    It was in High School that Mertz’s family moved out of the inner-city and into Troy, where the schools Hockey program was one of the best around. He played as the starting goaltender his freshman year, but wouldn’t play there any longer, as after posting a record season he was approached by Team USA U17 Developmental to come play with them. This is what ultimately set Mertz’s career towards going pro.

   

Team USA

    Mertz considered himself somewhat of a patriot, so playing for his country was kind of a dream come true. He wished he could’ve played for the team until being drafted into the pros but he knew his best bet was to play in a more heavily scouted league. However the time he spent there was not in vain.

    Team USA was his first exposure to goalie coaches outside of the camps he did as a kid. It really helped develop him more than the typical house style of train the defense and offense and let the goalies figure it out. He learned about what his stance should be, how to better position himself to the shooter, when he should and shouldn’t play the puck. By the end of his season with the developmental program Mertz was the same goalie with the addition of hockey sense and overall better core abilities. They couldn’t quite get him to shake his flashy style of play though.

 

QMJHL

    The QMJHL is really where Mertz established himself a potential pro goaltender. He was in a class of his own, putting up strong numbers while staying within his own playstyle. His quick, reaction based style of play led to many a highlight reel night for the teenage goaltender. It was good that he had those nights, because eyes were on him from around the various pro leagues. There wasn’t a scout that didn’t have something good to tell their franchise, a resounding “watch this kid” went around the VHLM the fastest.

However, with the excitement there was also a substantial downside. Mertz lacked consistency. Yeah he played exceptionally when he was on his game, but a reactionary playstyle requires focus, and Mertz was one to be rattled. As a goaltender his rookie season in the QMJHL he led the league in fights. A common mark of someone in Mertz’s crease was bruises up and down their legs from the constant hacking and slashing. Nobody got to sit in his crease without being punished for it.

It was hard for Mertz to leave St. John, it was there that he truly developed into the caliber goaltender he wanted to be. He had built strong bonds with that team, and the city would always hold a place in his heart, but Mertz wanted more than the QMJHL. He wanted to be a part of professional hockey, to show the world what he could do. He was ready to move on, and after many tearful goodbyes, he packed up his stuff to drive to Halifax and see just what team he would end up on.

   

Draft Day

    After two successful seasons in the QMJHL, Mertz moved on to the VHLM draft. This was a unique experience for the rookie as he didn’t really know what to expect. His knowledge of drafts was goalies went late and inexperienced rookie goalies went really late, if at all. So it was a bit of a shock when two of the six first round picks were goaltenders. It was more of a shock when 15 picks later in the fourth round he was drafted to the Halifax 21st, only the 3rd goalie taken in the draft, 21st overall.

The next few days went by in a blur, between press conferences and training and even just talking with teammates, everything felt so surreal. Having a dream realized was just so much to comprehend. It took some adjusting but soon enough everything fell into place. His netminder partner Tyler Smith became his training partner and the two developed some friendly competition, pushing each other to be better than the other to see who would open the season. He developed a good relationship with his GM and tried to help him out when he could. It felt like he had found a home with the 21st.

   

VHLM Start

    Mertz has had an exciting start to his VHLM career, going 5-1 in his first six games and leading the league in save percentage. He is part of a rotating pair with Smith for starters and both goalie have proven themselves to be some of the best in the league, with Smith opening his own career going 2-0. The future could prove to take Mertz off pace to be great, or it could see him shine even more, but for now he’s content showing the VHLM that Halifax is here to play.

 

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[oilmandan 688]

nice story. wouldve been cool to hear more about growing up and the childhood but a good read non the less. a very good start to your vhlm career as well