August 15, 2024 by Cam Cyr, photos by Joshua Ross
Ben Merrill pushed milk crates around Pilgrim Arena at the Hingham Youth Hockey’s “Learn to Skate” program when he was young. He spent time on the rink in his backyard and ran through his house playing knee hockey.
Once he developed his skills, Merrill signed up for Hingham’s Cross-Ice program, where he played for the Hingham Canadiens.
Now, after being selected in the sixth round of the National Hockey League draft earlier this summer, Merrill is slated to play for the Montréal Canadiens.
“I know that I have a lot of work to do before I would be ready to play for the Canadiens,” he said. “So my focus is just on trying to improve and get better every day.”
Before the 18-year-old forward plays professionally, he will play a season of junior hockey in British Columbia. Merrill looks to “finish strong” in the classroom during his senior year.
Then, he will play for Harvard University.
“I grew up going to a lot of college games at Boston College, Boston University and Harvard, and having the chance to play in the Beanpot would be amazing,” he said.
Merrill will set his eyes on playing professionally after at least a year of playing at Harvard.
He models his game after current Florida Panthers center Sasha Barkov.
However, growing up, Merrill tried to play like former Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, being a huge Bruins fan. He admired Bergeron’s all-around play style and leadership qualities.
Merrill started applying Bergeron’s play style during his time at Boston Advantage. Although he did not make their top team for his age group in his first year, he developed necessary skating and hockey skills.
Then he was on the ice for almost the rest of his youth experience.
“I owe a lot to Coach Lovell, Coach Eric Healey and everyone at the program for all that they did for me during those years,” he said.
He ended his time with the Advantage after his U16 season, as he started receiving full minutes for St. Sebastian’s School.
“We had a great group with a lot of older players who set a great example for the younger guys on the team about what it takes to earn a chance to play at the next level,” he said.
Similar to Hingham High School, the program follows the three-season sports model. This limits ice time for the prep school but allows players to participate on club teams during the school’s offseason.
At St. Sebastian’s, Merrill was on the ice six days a week, practicing and working out a few hours a day after school and typically playing games on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
His family only started hearing chatter about being a possible draft pick over the last few years at St. Sebastian’s.
“I don’t think many people, including us, were expecting this to happen even just a couple of years ago,” he said.
Merrill’s favorite hockey memory is the time he spent at the three-on-three sessions at Pilgrim Arena every Sunday night.
“Two of the dads, Mike Richardson and Dan Rakauskas, ran it for years,” he said. “There were no coaches or rules. It was like pond hockey.”
Merrill is thankful for the support from his family throughout his playing career. His father introduced him and his siblings to the game, and his mom spent countless hours driving to and from the rink, all while making sure he stayed on top of his schoolwork.
He also notes that he would not be the player he is today without the amazing teammates and coaches he has played with along the way.
“I am very grateful to have had the chance to grow up in a great hockey town like Hingham.”