What the hell standard is Merkley being held up to? He's a punk kid playing junior hockey. Junior hockey. Junior. Junior. Unpaid, junior hockey. No one wants him the OHL? Why does anyone think that would bother him? Does he want to play in the OHL for the rest of his life? Um, no. He wants to play in the NHL, he wants to have a professional career. He was a 1st round pick, and yes his attitude caused him to slide in the draft, but someone still liked him enough to draft him in the 1st round, so he obviously has the ability to play in the NHL. His OHL coaches can't even legitimately threaten him, benching him doesn't remove his talent, scratching him doesn't mean he wasn't drafted in the 1st round. He's not underperforming when he plays, and yes, he does have aspects of his game that he needs to improve, but the OHL isn't the only place he can learn and improve. Everyone seems to want to put him in his place, but they lack the power or weight required to actually do that because no matter what they say or do, they can't take away his talent, and they won't prevent the Sharks from trying to turn him into an NHLer.