CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Defenseman Chris Merisier-Ortiz had interest and offers on the table from a couple of teams this summer after he was passed over in the draft.
The decision to sign with the Penguins, though, was an easy one.
AHL-level contracts are almost always one-year deals. Right after the draft, the Penguins called Merisier-Ortiz and offered a two-year AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which he signed last month. He was given an invite to this week's prospect development camp at the Lemieux Complex, and an invite to the main NHL training camp which begins later this week.
"I think this is the best opportunity for me here," Merisier-Ortiz, 20, told me after Monday's development camp practice.
Also included in the Penguins' offer was something no other team could match: The opportunity to play with his teammate since childhood, Nathan Legare.
Merisier-Ortiz and Legare have been playing with each other since they were seven years old in youth hockey, and that continued into their junior career when the Baie-Comeau Drakkar traded up in the 2017 QMJHL draft in order to select both in the first round. They chose Legare with the No. 6 overall pick, and Merisier-Ortiz right after, with pick No. 7. The two played together on the Drakkar for three and a half years, until the rebuilding Drakkar shipped both players off to different contenders in midseason trades last year.
QMJHL
Chris Merisier-Ortiz and Nathan Legare on their QMJHL draft day in 2017.
"For us it's a dream come true," Legare said Sunday of Merisier-Ortiz joining the Penguins organization. "We played together since we were seven, it's pretty special. And for him to to have a contract here, it's special too. I train with him during the summer, we we push each other. We're just excited about the new challenge."
Merisier-Ortiz called Legare "someone to look up to" when it comes to his compete level on the ice and work ethic and habits off the ice.
Merisier-Ortiz spoke highly of the practices, workouts, and staff after the first three days of development camp. Former Penguins defenseman and current hockey operations advisor Trevor Daley has been among staff members working with the prospects in the on-ice sessions, and is someone who was in communication with Merisier-Ortiz over the offseason, checking in to see how his summer was going. Merisier-Ortiz is relishing the opportunity to learn from the two-time Stanley Cup champion in this setting.
"Just him being here and working with us, it's pretty great," he said of Daley.
Merisier-Ortiz is a left-handed offensive defenseman. In the first half of the season with the Drakkar, he recorded 12 assists in 15 games while quarterbacking their top power play unit. He was traded to the Armada midseason, and recorded four goals and 20 assists in 24 games to finish the regular season. He scored one goal and five assists in nine postseason games.
Advanced stats show that Merisier-Ortiz was one of the best draft-aged defensemen in the QMJHL last season at leading breakouts:
Here are the best Q draft eligible defensemans and some of their breakout stats. Double overager Merisier-Ortiz is one of the best at leading the breakout, thanks to his outstanding mobility, poise under pressure and above average first pass.
— Andy Lehoux (@Andylehoux1) May 5, 2021
Stats 🔎 taken from @InStatHockey pic.twitter.com/ZrkyAfNLRY
The EliteProspects 2021 Draft Guide had the following scouting report on Merisier-Ortiz:
"His neutral zone defense is as solid as ever both in terms of stick and footwork. The trademarks of his game are solid posture, no reaching, and a gap almost always closed before the defensive blue line. He can feed the offense through short and long passes or by activating north or east-west off the rush, giving an extra passing option to teammates."
I asked Merisier-Ortiz how he would describe himself as a player.
"I think I'm a pretty good skater," he said. "I have a good vision."
Currently listed at 5 foot 11, 172 pounds, he added that he's focusing on improving his physical side in order to find more success at the pro level.
"I'm getting bigger and stronger to play against the bigger guys out there," he said.
While it'll likely take some time for Merisier-Ortiz to adjust to the pro game as an offensive-minded defenseman from the QMJHL making the jump to the AHL, he's already made a strong first impression on Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest at this camp.
"Really smooth," Forrest said. "He's a heck of a skater. He's got a lot of skill. And he makes good decisions with the puck. It's going to be a little bit of an adjustment for him, from being an older guy in a junior league to now being a younger guy in the professional league. But he can handle that. We really like his toolset, he's looked good out here."
