More than just trophies

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The young netminder who kicked back 23 shots to help his team capture the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League championship this past spring was back home in Bay Roberts last weekend showing off the Gilles Courteau Trophy.
Riley Mercer, 20, was accompanied at the Bay Arena by his brother, NHLer Dawson Mercer, and his sister Jessica, herself a standout hockey player at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Mercer’s Drummondville Voltigeurs won the league cup four games to one and went on to the represent the league in the race for Canada’s top junior hockey prize, the Memorial Cup.
Like all the players on the championship team, Mercer was given the opportunity to take the cup home, which he happily put on display and just as accommodatingly signed autographs and posed for selfies with fans.
The Mercers have been a hockey family for a long time. Riley’s father, Craig, was an avid hockey player, and his older cousins also played. All three Mercer siblings cite the influence of their family as the biggest contributor to their passion for hockey, with Dawson adding that being a Canadian and a Newfoundlander was also a big factor.
“It’s been such an experience coming through and having hockey as a building block in my life in general,” added Riley.
The ace goaltender had not anticipated being drafted by the Voltigeurs due to his age —he was 16 at the time. Older brother, Dawson, 22, also played with the Voltigeurs. Because of this, Riley said it feels as though he has been following the team for seven years rather than the four since he was drafted. Beyond the on-ice accomplishments and the experience of playing hockey itself, Riley said he greatly values the friendships he has forged and the opportunities to see the world that his career has afforded him. The Voltigeurs’ win was big for the city of Drummondville, he noted, as it’s the first time the team has won the playoffs in 15 years.
The last time Mercer was part of such a celebration was when his high school team won the Wesley Gosse Memorial Hockey Tournament, which he says was big for his hometown.
To win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy was a huge achievement.
“It was unbelievable to win the trophy for the team, myself, and the city,” said Mercer.
As for this fall, Mercer said he wants to focus on having a good final year of junior hockey, and will be attending the Minnesota Wild Training Camp in September, where he hopes to make a mark.
If so, he will be following in the skate marks of Dawson, who has already made a name for himself in professional hockey. The New Jersey Devils centreman recalls his first NHL goal fondly, and considers it the highlight of his career thus far.
Like Riley, Dawson is appreciative of his Conception Bay upbringing and proud to represent the area.
“Someone has to be the one that hopefully one day makes it,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to be able to do that, make Bay Roberts proud, and just Newfoundland in general.”
Dawson said returning home to Bay Roberts in the summer and taking part in events like Saturday’s Gilles-Courteau Trophy celebration with Riley is very special. Dawson said he is very proud of his brother and was fortunate enough to get to see him play live on multiple occasions during the playoffs. And like Riley, he is setting goals for himself this fall, namely his overall physical improvement – in size, strength and speed.
The youngest Mercer sibling, Jessica, is also a talented hockey player. The 18-year-old recalls going to the rink as a kid to watch her father and brothers play hockey, and was gratified to discover when she started playing that she loved the sport just as much as them, Jessica plays defence and has competed in the Canada Games with Team Atlantic. This fall she will go to the University of Prince Edward Island and play varsity hockey. Moving away to play hockey in different places, and meeting lots of new people through the sport, have been great experiences, she said. At the moment her focus is academic, as her current goal is to have a good experience at university for the next four or five years. She is majoring in kinesiology and hopes to continue in sports one day with her degree.
Jessica is pretty proud of her brothers’ success. “I love seeing all their hard work pay off and see that everything they put into it they’re getting something back for it,” she said.
Asked what advice they would give to aspiring athletes, all three Mercers expressed similar sentiments: work hard and do what you love. “You need to choose something you love and do it with all your passion,” said Riley, who believes that matching hard work with being a good person tends to equal good results.
Dawson added that when it comes to succeeding, it often comes down to how much you love what you are doing and how much you want it. “If you work for it, a lot of things can come true,” he said.
Jessica echoed the importance of passion and effort. “Just always work hard and have fun,” she advised.