It's a fun yin and yang, but even Merzlikins admits his irrepressible nature didn't quite always mix with the NHL a year ago. It was a full-on learning experience for the Latvian a year ago, and now he feels a lot more comfortable going into year two in Columbus.
"There was a lot," he said when asked what he learned a season ago. "There was a lot of ups and downs. There was really a lot -- like, really a lot in everything."
Off the ice, that meant getting used to a new team for the first time in his pro career -- not to mention an entirely new culture and country in the United States. On the ice, the transition was difficult as well, as he allowed seven goals in his first start and didn't get a win in his first 10 games before his dramatic turnaround when Korpisalo was hurt in late December.
"Maybe in the start when I came here, I didn't respect that here are the best players in the world," he said. "It was hard to get used to that and see that these guys, they don't joke. They are really serious. They put the puck in the little hole when they see it. You have to respect the shooters, you have to respect the players, and yeah, that was the hardest part maybe.
"Then I think I was maybe even thinking too much when I was on the ice. … Then, when I had the last chance (when Korpisalo was hurt), I gave it to myself and I just wanted to enjoy it and have fun on the ice. Then I wasn't thinking anymore, I was just trying to play my game and have fun. Then I was stopping the puck and I felt good."
Merzlikins spent his offseason back in Lugano, Switzerland, and worked on his core strength to get ready for the season. If he shows the same growth in year two as he did in year one, it's a scary thought for the rest of the NHL.
"I'm looking at this as a long, long, long playoff mode, but I mean, it's going to be fun as well," he said. "You're playing really often the same teams, so that's why in my head I am taking this as a long playoff round. It's not going to be easy obviously mentally, but we are professionals."