Player Rep Spotlight: Dakota Mermis (Iowa Wild)
Dakota Mermis is the PHPA Player Representative for the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Mermis played in the USHL for 2 seasons before attending the University of Denver. He then went on to play 3 seasons in the OHL with the London Knights and Oshawa Generals, capping off his junior career with a Memorial Cup. He is now in his eighth professional season and has played over 435 games split between the AHL and NHL. Last season Mermis was awarded the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as AHL Person of the Year in recognition of his significant community involvement. He is also the Captain of the Iowa Wild.
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How did you become a PHPA Representative and what are some of your roles and responsibilities?
My third-year pro in Tucson our team needed a Rep so I decided to do it. Through my first couple years I became interested in this side of our game and decided it would be a good way to help and also learn about the game from the PA side of things. Most of my role is acting as a liaison between the PA and the players. Also helping players navigate different things that come up in respect to the CBA and letting them know what the PA can do for them as these things come up.
What did you enjoy most from attending the PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives?
The Annual Meeting in Orlando was awesome. My wife and I had a great week seeing some former teammates that we were able to reconnect with. We were in the process of negotiating a new CBA so learning the behind the scenes work that went into that was cool as well as being able to present further ideas that would be useful for players and their families was great.
What memory(ies) stand out to you most from when you made your NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes in 2017?
Making my NHL debut was obviously a dream come true. Being able to get my family out to Arizona quickly to enjoy the game with me was the best part. Fortunately, it was a home game and they were able to get on a flight first thing in the morning to make it in time. For all the sacrifices your family makes for you throughout your hockey journey, being able to celebrate the accomplishment with them was definitely the best part.
What were the circumstances that led you leaving the University of Denver and moving to Canada to play for the London Knights of the OHL?
This was a tough decision. It ultimately came down to getting maximum exposure to chase my dream of playing in the NHL. As an undrafted player I felt the extra games of junior would be good for me. Add on to that, the really good roster that our team had in London, I knew I would be seen every night by NHL teams while making long playoff runs. Also, I was still able to have my schooling paid for while I played there so I attended the University of Western Ontario to continue my studies which was great for me.
You were fortunate to play in three Memorial Cup Championships. What was the feeling like when you finally won in 2015 with the Oshawa Generals?
Winning with Oshawa is one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in hockey. I joined Oshawa at the deadline that season in hopes of getting another opportunity to win. To be able to pull it off in my final year was incredible. We had a great group who really deserved to win and were committed to doing everything to win. At this time, I hadn’t signed an NHL contract yet so I truly didn’t know if this would be it for me or if I would get an opportunity with a team afterwards so there was a lot of uncertainty. With that however, it was a great feeling to be able to accomplish what I had come short of the previous two seasons and close out my junior career on top. Third time was a charm after all.
You have been a leader on multiple teams. How would you describe your leadership style?
I would say my leadership style is definitely one of doing the work myself first. I can be vocal and a good liaison between the staff and players to make sure everyone is pulling the same direction and the message is always received correctly from all angles. I believe in making sure things are done right all the time and I like to think that helps build culture on and off the ice which of course helps move a group forward throughout a season. At the end of the day a leader is still just someone in a group that can help a team win and empowering other guys to expand their role in the group which helps everyone move forward.
In 2022, you were awarded the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as AHL Person of the Year in recognition for your significant community involvement. What does an Award such as that mean to you, and why is being involved in the community important to you?
This was a huge honor for my family and I. My wife, Sarah, undoubtedly deserves as much credit as anyone for everything we’re able to do in the community. She does so much leg work for all our crazy ideas of giving back and really helps me be able to focus on hockey while still following through with our community initiatives. The community team in Iowa led by Joey Goldstein also does so much to help us accomplish everything we want to do. A community award for us is one of the greatest honors because it really speaks more to the person and impact you can have on others around you instead of just being about hockey related stats. We feel it’s incredibly important to be involved in the community especially right now given the platform and resources we as athletes have to make a difference in others’ lives. If someone has the ability to help others, to us, it really feels like it’s a responsibility to do so. Even small things to us usually make such a big difference to others and the feeling at the end of the day when you’ve made a positive impact in someone else’s life is something that’s really rewarding.
On your Twitter profile it’s clear you are a dog lover and own two dogs yourself. Where did your affinity for dogs come from and what are your favourite activities to do with them?
Yes, we are definitely huge animal lovers in our house. I grew up with dogs and grew up in a family of animal lovers, so I just grew up around that. As everyone says, the unconditional love dogs provide is unlike anything else. In this crazy life of pro hockey with all the moving and craziness, for me, our dogs have such a grounding effect. They really don’t care whether you’re in the NHL or AHL, whether you played good or bad, they are happy all the same just to be with you and like I said that has such an effect on me throughout a season. We love to go hiking with them and just be active in general with them playing frisbee/fetch and so much more which is a great mental escape. In the off-season we have a good time running them in the dog sport of agility which has been cool to learn about. They pretty much come with us everywhere that’s allowed, and we love having them on the ride with us.
What’s your favourite part about playing and living in Iowa?
It’s hard to pin one single thing that we love about Iowa. The city of Des Moines is a great place to live. With a 1-year-old and a second on the way we really couldn’t be in a better place to continue growing our family. There are so many things to do and such great resources for everyone in the house and everyone we’ve met here are such great people. The organization is top notch and playing here has been a blast. With great fans, great living and so much to do away from the rink we’ve really enjoyed it.
Who is the funniest teammate you have played with throughout your pro career and why?
I’ve had so many funny teammates so it’s hard to pick one. A guy I play with right now in Iowa is Turner Ottenbreit so I’ll say him right now. Some of his humor is actually just his personality which makes it even better. He’s super unscripted and when you combine that with his personality, he gives some pretty good laughs.
Favorite books or movies you have recently read / watched?
My favorite book that I’ve recently read is the Steve Jobs biography. To learn the background of how apple grew into what it is today was fascinating due in large part obviously to Jobs. “Crushing it” by Gary Vaynerchuk was also a fun read.
Any advice for kids who aspire to one day become a professional hockey player?
My best advice is really just to enjoy what you’re doing right now. Make sure you’re keeping everything fun and enjoyable. There will certainly be sacrifice and hard work ahead but the best way to develop is to find ways to keep the development fun and exciting. It’s a very long journey and you don’t have to be a pro player tomorrow. Enjoy the ride, do the work, have fun, do the work again and good things will happen.
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