Introduction
Michael Mersch (born October 2, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing within the Dallas Stars organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the 4th round (110th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Mersch previously played collegiate hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Men's Division I Big Ten Conference. In his senior year, Mersch's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the 2013–14 All-Big Ten First Team.
On April 1, 2014, the Los Angeles Kings signed Mersch to a three-year entry-level contract.
In the 2015–16 season, on December 11, 2015, Michael drew in to his first NHL game for the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings bested the Pittsburgh Penguins in at 3-2 shootout win at the Consol Energy Center. Mersch registered 2 shots and 3 hits during his 11:01 time on ice.
After four full seasons within the Kings organization following the 2017–18 campaign and having been unable to break into the NHL squad, Mersch left as a free agent and signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2018.
Family
His father, Mike Mersch, was a defenseman who played professionally in the International Hockey League.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | U.S. National Development Team | NAHL | 42 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 50 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 27 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 41 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 37 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 42 | 23 | 13 | 36 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Wisconsin | B1G | 37 | 22 | 13 | 35 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 76 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 25 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 52 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 48 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 46 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 65 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Texas Stars | AHL | 68 | 23 | 22 | 45 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Texas Stars | AHL | 61 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| WCHA All-Academic Team | 2012–13 | |
| All-Big Ten First Team | 2013–14 | |
| AHCA West Second-Team All-American | 2013–14 | |
| AHL | ||
| Calder Cup (Manchester Monarchs) | 2015 | |