<div align="center"> Daniel Merica and Brian Morley, up to no good before an IHF game.
The Season 14 draft was chock full of high-end talent, so much so that it earned the title of “Super Draft”. Players such as Marian Potoczny, Chuck Winnfield, Carter O’Callahan and Jordin FourFour highlighted the extensive list of prospective superstars. Lost in all of this were two players who slid under the radar, despite good showings in the SMJHL, who’s only real failing was not being sponsored by a former SHL star (well, for one of them, there may have been a few other deciding factors), which tends to have a major impact on how your draft day will proceed. But, as many teams have come to find out, draft boards can be deceiving.
Both of these players played for the Prince George Firebirds, manning opposite sides of the ice on the wings, and put up very similar numbers in their sole season together in the SMJHL. They, however, are polar opposites in many regards. To start with, Brian Morley is a Canadian, and Daniel Merica is an American, as his last name suggests, which instantly creates that brotherhood rivalry. Then there is the fact that Morley is the calm, collected, cool leader who walks around with that silent confidence and irresistible swagger, one look at him and you know he is a professional in everything he does, including scoring women, or so his teammates have said. Morley rarely spoke out in the media during his time in the Juniors, letting his play and body of work speak for itself.
Always the showman, Merica did everything he could to draw attention to himself.
Daniel Merica, on the other hand, quickly branded himself as a brash, arrogant, selfish individual who never let an opportunity to glorify himself pass by, constantly making headlines in the news, and often times for things that didn’t help his cause, like drunken and disorderly charges, public intoxication and things of that nature. His drinking and womanizing prowess was well-known within days of landing in Prince George. This shameless promotion and individualism would certainly play a part in his fall down the draft board. He was once quoted as saying ”This is the Juniors, this isn’t about “team” , it’s about putting up numbers and raising your draft stock. Ask me if I’d rather win the Four Star Cup, or an MVP…Hands down the MVP, every f****n time.”
Despite some opposite personality traits, they quickly formed a strong friendship and it became well documented that they hoped to play in the SHL together. As we all know by now, that wouldn’t come to pass, and it doesn’t look like they’ll ever have that chance, if their career paths continue as they have thus far. They were seen together all the time, be it at strip clubs, the local dive bar or the gym. Merica cat-calling females constantly, while Morley stood off to side, perhaps leaning against a telephone pole with his impeccable hair and swag laden smile, seductively winking at them, waiting to pick them up as Merica’s overly aggressive nature failed him once again. As they did on the ice, they made great wingmen off it as well. When asked about their relationship, Morley spared no details: "All we did was party and slam pie. We were the dynamic duo, so to speak. Let's just say, many many ladies received the double team supreme. " Their teammates confirmed that Morley and Merica tag-teamed girls on multiple occasions. He went on "A lot of people thought we were gay lovers for a while. That's not to say the lsd we would do once in a while wouldn't make us extra close... " The topic of this title is clearly an attempt at making a reference their gayness.
Morley has thrived in Los Angeles…He credits his beard for the ease with which he gets females.
Morley would tumble down to the 19th pick in the draft, landing in the blissful city of Los Angeles, joining the #2 pick in the draft, Marian Potoczny, in what would quickly begin a changing of the guard in the Panthers organization. As it often times does, things usually happen for a reason. While Morley probably couldn’t see the good in going to LA at the time, as he watched pick after pick without his name being called, he would quickly realize how lucky he was, and how where your drafted doesn’t mean a damn thing come game time. In regards to his initial thoughts on being selected 19th overall, Morley said the following ” Well I guess the jokes on them. How many people can you count that went before me that are inactive or just plain not good? Quite a few."
”Too risky” Was what most scouts told their general managers when asked about Daniel Merica. Whether it was his crazy nights out on the town, lack of teamwork or constant need to speak his unpopular, politically incorrect opinion, teams were shying away from Merica, despite the enormous amount of offensive talent he brought to the table. When it comes to managing a team, you sometimes HAVE to take calculated risks, because it has been proven in the past to yield very ripe results. It just takes a man with a big sack to pony up and make that call, because choosing Merica was risky, and it brought an extra amount of work for everyone, knowing his party life and untamable tongue; they would have to deal with issues that other, safer picks wouldn’t cause them. The Seattle Riot weighed their options and took the plunge, selecting Daniel 14th overall. Like Morley, they didn’t know at the time the gravity of this choice and how much it would impact them almost immediately.
Morley would immediately join the LA organization and forego another year in the SMJHL. Many scouts supported this, saying that he was ”Very polished, very refined skill, he has instant impact written all over him, his presence on the ice alone has a way of bringing out the best of everyone”. While on the other hand, Merica elected to spend another season with Prince George. Scouts said that he ”Has amazing talent, his offensive skills are some of the best we have seen in a long time, but for maturity reasons he should probably go back to PG”. Merica would make the most of his return to the Juniors, scorching the league for 60 points, a rare feat these days, easily winning the MVP Award. It certainly didn’t help his maturity any, but it inflated his ego ten-fold and showed everyone the true amount of talent he possessed, much to their cha-grin.
Los Angeles quickly realized what Morley brought to the table and began molding him into a franchise piece alongside of Marian Potoczny. The two of them would form a bond that would be the center of their rise into contention for years to come. Like most rookies, Morley had a learning curve in his transition to the SHL, but his skill wasn’t debatable and it wasn’t long before teams began to regret letting him slide all the way to the 19th pick. Los Angeles also served to create “Swag Nation”, Morley’s very own crowd section of hipsters, and also half naked females begging to be slain, who have had a tendency of flashing the camera. One girl, a beautiful blonde, raced down to the glass as Morley stood with his back to her, chatting it up with Potoczny, probably discussing which kind of condom was their favorite, and banged on the glass until Morley turned around, which was when she lifted her shirt up, displaying her ample breasts. Morley reportedly banged her later that night.
No player represents the Panthers brand better than Morley.
Morley would become the first member (along with Potoczny) to win a Challenge Cup from the S14 draft. While Morley wasn’t putting up big points at the time, his leadership and confident swag would lead the Panthers to hand him the coveted “C”. In his first year as Captain, he led the Panthers to the S17 Challenge Cup. ”As far as Captains go, few instill the confidence that Brian does in his teammates, he puts them first no matter what” Praised one scout. In comparison to Merica, Morley had definitely been granted the easier career path by going to Los Angeles. He would soon rise to Co-General Manager and even win Gold with Team Canada. Morley has constantly improved and continues to make GM’s slap themselves. He is the SHL’s version of Derek Jeter.
Daniel Merica was thrust into a tough rebuild upon his arrival at the beginning of the S16 season, fresh off his SMJHL MVP and full of arrogancy. There was no telling him what to do, he did what he wanted and broke every rule in the book. To put it lightly, he was a migraine headache during his early days in Seattle for Christoph Klose. Throughout his late night exploits, puking every morning at practice due to lack of hydration and too much alcohol consumption, his constant run-ins with the media, which sometimes ended up in Merica screaming at the reporter, one time turning into a fist fight, Klose stood by his choice to pick Merica, proclaiming him as the future of the franchise. Many laughed and simply figured he was trying to salvage his dignity for messing up the pick.
A year after Morley wrote the script, Merica re-wrote it.
Merica’s off-the-ice choices had a serious impact on his play, his first two seasons quite frankly terrible, perhaps worse simply because he constantly promoted himself, even when he couldn’t hit the broadside of the barn. Like Jay Cutler, Merica didn’t seem to get phased by his mistakes, he simply shook it off and kept playing. S17 would begin his rise in stardom. While 35 points isn’t usually considered a lot, it was a breakthrough for Merica and began to instill confidence in the fans that their cult following of him would soon be justified.
Seattle would just miss the playoffs, but coming so close would wet their appetite to an insatiable degree and with Merica showing major maturity growth, Seattle was extremely confident going into S18. A year after Morley wasn’t named Captain and led LA to the Cup, the same would come true for his long-time friend Merica. In a clear culture changing decision, Seattle named Merica their Captain. He wouldn’t disappoint, putting up 41 points in route to their first ever championship. ”Merica’s evolution into a leader and mature presence on this team was a defining factor for us, it was what we needed and what we had been waiting for ever since we drafted him” Said Klose after their Cup victory. The playoffs would be a defining point for Daniel, who notched 16 points, including two game seven game winning goals. Merica has put up 97 points in his past two seasons, exploding onto the scene of SHL stardom.
Both Morley and Merica are now undeniable superstars. Morley is still the quieter, pussy slaying Derek Jeter, and Merica remains that person who you either love, because you feel like rooting for him is the same as sticking your middle finger at your oppressive boss, and his intense, one-man army style and attitude is breathtaking, or you absolutely hate him because he won’t shut up, and because he is one of the premier scorers in the SHL and watching him succeed makes you barf in your mouth. Morley is easy to root for, he gets along with most everyone and just wants to spread the swag to those who are lost in the abyss of non-swagness and slay pussy. With Merica, it’s always a struggle.
Although they are playing on separate teams in the very competitive Western Conference, and likely will soon face each other in the playoffs, they have remained best friends. Any time their teams play each other they meet up and kick it, and by kick it I mean pound shots of Jack Daniels in the hotel room, probably snort cocaine, than go out and walk the streets hitting on everything with a pussy, playing their favorite game of “Nice to meet you, we come as a package, want to fuck?”. Surprisingly, they somehow land the hottest babes in their traps with that line. Riot GM Klose has been known to brief Merica before they play LA, telling him to take it easy with Morley and remember they have a game to play, because everyone knows when the two of them are together, it’s going to get obnoxious.
While it doesn’t look as though they will be re-united anytime soon, they both expressed their desire to one day suit up on the same side once again. ”It’d be a match made in heaven, a duo of epic proportions, it’d be Batman and Batman, a straight partying, women slaying, championship winning duo. We wouldn’t even need a third line mate. Imagine two Wayne Gretzky’s playing together, that’d be us” Said Merica with his usual flashy, cocky grin. The idea of Morley and Merica together is certainly worth thinking about, their playing styles would mesh well together. If it ever happened, it would be huge.
One thing is certain for both of these SHL icons, and that’s that they were the clear steals of the S14 draft. Looking back at the players picked before them, it’s almost embarrassing that they were allowed to fall so far.
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2230 Words
S2, S5, S18, S22 Challenge Cup Champion
Hall Of Famers: (S7) Alex Reay | (S28) Daniel Merica
Quote:Originally posted by Gifter of Bikes@Oct 28 2014, 10:31 AM I had both of you guys in pg and tried my damndest to get both of you in Seattle. Shame I couldn't.
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Sigs by Me, Merica, High Stick King, Rum_Ham, Jess, vulfzilla, enigmatic, and Carpy
Merica![[Image: 4255d95885934a8564d9d65d05bb9f51.jpg]](https://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/42/55/d9/4255d95885934a8564d9d65d05bb9f51.jpg)
![[Image: Patrick-Kane-Favorite-Color.jpg]](http://www.rantsports.com/clubhouse/wp-content/slideshow/2014/02/winter-olympics-2014-10-interesting-facts-about-patrick-kane/medium/Patrick-Kane-Favorite-Color.jpg)
![[Image: 244399-thumb.jpg]](http://distinctathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/244399-thumb.jpg)
![[Image: 20140829-burns-header.jpg]](http://2.cdn.nhle.com/sharks/images/upload/2014/08/20140829-burns-header.jpg)
![[Image: 1033187-16638455-640-360.jpg]](http://i.eurosport.com/2013/06/25/1033187-16638455-640-360.jpg)
![[Image: mckeiltbb.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/729032691974012989/1034830613875802174/mckeiltbb.png)
![[Image: Merica5.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Merica5.gif)
miss you
![[Image: 64012_s.gif]](https://signavatar.com/64012_s.gif)
Muerto![[Image: dZqcwmW.jpg?format=webp&width=710&height=473]](https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/fiy5uVMPs6-wmjqg9c_CtnU1EL5AtG9gtu82CXkeurY/https/i.imgur.com/dZqcwmW.jpg?format=webp&width=710&height=473)
S76 SMJHL DRAFT 3RD OVERALL PICK 
S77 SHL DRAFT 4TH OVERALL PICK 
IIHF TEAM NORWAY 
