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Merkley returning to form for Âé¶¹AV Rockets

Coming off serious knee surgery last season, the Rockets' centre is getting back to his old self
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Âé¶¹AV Rockets forward Nick Merkley has scored three goals in his last three WHL games.

It was a long road back for Nick Merkley.

Now, with the monotony and uncertainty of rehab behind him, and a dozen Western Hockey League games under his belt, the Âé¶¹AV ¸é´Ç³¦°ì±ð³Ù²õ’ centre is back to doing what he does best.

After a slow start to the 2016-17 WHL campaign, the Arizona °ä´Ç²â´Ç³Ù±ð²õ’ prospect is returning to form, scoring his first three goals of the season in the ¸é´Ç³¦°ì±ð³Ù²õ’ last three games.

±õ³Ù’s welcome news for the team and for Merkley, whose 2015-16 season ended abruptly last Feb. 5 when he suffered a serious injury to his right knee against the Spokane Chiefs.

, seven months of intensive rehab followed for Merkley, including a ²õ³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù’s worth in Calgary, then with the °ä´Ç²â´Ç³Ù±ð²õ’ medical staff in Phoenix leading up to the season.

¸é´Ç³¦°ì±ð³Ù²õ’ assistant coach Kris Mallette said ²Ñ±ð°ù°ì±ô±ð²â’s successful return from a severe injury is a testament to his character.

“N¾±³¦°ì’s work ethic is never a question, ¾±³Ù’s ³¦´Ç²Ô³Ù²¹²µ¾±´Ç³Ü²õ,†Mallette said of Merkley, a first-round draft pick of the Coyotes in 2015.

“N¾±³¦°ì really stuck to his (rehab) regimen and now ³ó±ð’s back and starting to play with more ³¦´Ç²Ô´Ú¾±»å±ð²Ô³¦±ð.â€

“T³ó²¹³Ù’s a big reason he was drafted, because he works as hard as he »å´Ç±ð²õ,†added Mallette. “T³ó¾±²õ year ·É±ð’r±ð leaning on him a little more, and he was a little snake bitten for a few games.

“B³Ü³Ù good on him for sticking with it and ¾±³Ù’s nice to see him finally get °ù±ð·É²¹°ù»å±ð»å.â€

Rediscovering his timing and his confidence have been a work in progress for the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Merkley.

He took another step forward in both departments in Wednesday ²Ô¾±²µ³ó³Ù’s 5-1 home-ice loss to Kamloops, notching his ³Ù±ð²¹³¾â€™s only goal and generating a handful of quality scoring chances.

“W¾±³Ù³ó my injury ¾±³Ù’s taken some time to settle back in and get used to the pace again, and ³Ù³ó²¹³Ù’s starting to happen ²Ô´Ç·É,†said Merkley, who has eight points in 12 games this season.

â€Àá’v±ð settled in with my linemates, (Calvin Thurkauf) is playing great, ³ó±ð’s creating a lot of opportunities for us. And ±õ’m just getting to the ²Ô±ð³Ù.â€

While the injury ³ó²¹²õ²Ô’t affected ²Ñ±ð°ù°ì±ô±ð²â’s work ethic or made him any less tenacious, Mallette said the ¸é´Ç³¦°ì±ð³Ù²õ’ centre is getting a little more selective when it comes to putting his body at risk.

â€Àá´Ú ²â´Ç³Ü’v±ð watched Nick the last few years, ³ó±ð’s pretty °ù±ð³¦°ì±ô±ð²õ²õ,†Mallette said. “H±ð gets in on the forecheck, runs into people, ³ó±ð’s like a small Tasmanian devil. ±á±ð’s a little smarter about those decisions now, that may come partly from Arizona.

“H±ð »å´Ç±ð²õ²Ô’t have to run around as much, ³ó±ð’s got to use his strength and his smarts more efficiently and I think you see him doing ³Ù³ó²¹³Ù.â€

Rocket Shots…

The Rockets (9-8-0) will be in Langley tonight for their first meeting of the season with the Vancouver ³Ò¾±²¹²Ô³Ù²õ…K±ð±ô´Ç·É²Ô²¹ will host the Medicine Hat Tigers Saturday at Prospera Place. Face-off is 7:05 p.m. The Tigers (11-4-1-0), who lead the Central Division, defeated the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars 6-4 on Wednesday.