PODCAST: Holtz and Mercer Join the Podcast

New Jersey Devils Official Podcast
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Alexander Holtz & Dawson Mercer | Speak of the Devils
It has been just over a week since the lives of Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer suddenly transformed. A lifetime of hard work led both young hockey players to hear their names called in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.
It was Holtz who heard his name called first, selected seventh overall by the New Jersey Devils. Holtz was at home in Sweden, the middle of the night, but he was up and surrounded by family and friends for the big moment.
"You're just standing there and you're with your friends and family at home, it's also a little bit more nervous, because everyone's sitting there expecting you to be picked," Holtz told the Speak of the Devils Podcast, "And when, when they called my name, there was such a good feeling."

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With family and friends, practice the next day with his Djurgårdens club was the furthest thing from his mind. He gave himself the leeway to "party another one or two hours" in celebration.
"I think I got something like, four hours of sleep that night," he recalled. "You had like a smile on your face and you were so pumped up, so it was not a problem to go to practice the day after."
And when he returned practice the next day? He was celebrated by all his teammates.
"I think when I got the locker room, the day after, everyone was so happy for me. So that was a real good feeling."
In their next game, Holtz scored a beauty of a goal as he starts his Swedish Hockey League season. Five games in, Holtz has two goals and an assist, his three points tied for the team lead with his centerman. This season, he's taking on a bigger role with the club, playing alongside former New Jersey Devil, Jacob Josefson.
"I love to play with him. I think he is the best center in the SHL right now, this the past season had some struggles with injuries. So, of course that was sad, but I think yeah, this season is going be good."
"Last year I play with like on the third line, didn't play so much play like twelve minutes a game, and then this season I played on the first line, played 17 minutes a game and first power play," he shared, "So it's so much different game. And I think you have like, that kind of feeling now that you're in a good position. And if you do your things right, you're like still in that kind of position. And when you start, I see play with that kind of feeling and that kind of trust from the coaches, it gives you more confidence. And I think when you have more confidence, you better play."
Meanwhile in Chicoutimi, Quebec, Dawson Mercer is in his room at his billets home. His Quebec Major Junior League season has been underway since before the 2020 Draft. Now in his billet's home, he joined the Devils podcast. Mercer was traded to Chicoutimi in January from Drummondville, joining to Sagueneens to help push them to a championship before the season was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Mercer is with Chicoutimi once again and although only spent a few months with the team prior to this year, was awarded an A on his jersey.
"I take a lot of pride in wearing that," he told the podcast, "There's leaders all over the room with and without letters and I have the pride to wear it and be one of those that can step up, push the guys on the ice, but also off the ice and just make sure you're there for the younger guys and the older ones. I think you learn a lot, I've had some good captains and assistants in the past."
Although living in Chicoutimi, Mercer is from Newfoundland, Canada. It's its own island, nicknamed, ironically, 'The Rock'. It's a small community but has deep hockey roots, home of former NHL players Michael Ryder, Daniel Cleary and Ryane Clowe.
"It's not too big of a community obviously," Mercer shared, "We got everything we need there. I love going back to visit. I loved my childhood there. I'm really family oriented. I do a lot with my family, not just including my brother, sister and my parents. It's like my cousins, my aunts and uncles, we do a lot of stuff together."
One of those things the Mercer family has done? Been to their very own Stanley Cup parade. It was a big moment when Daniel Cleary won the Cup with Detroit in 2008, he became the first person from Newfoundland and Labrador to win the Cup.
"I want to be the next one to bring the Stanley Cup back to Newfoundland," Mercer says with a big smile.
"He only lived about 15 minutes for me," he continued, "one of my dad's friends lives down on the street where he's from, he knows him, my dad played in the same organization as Cleary when he was growing up, but my dad's a couple years older. I was down there on my dad's friend's lawn, where I was there this summer. And you're watching the parade go by, he was bringing the Cup down through the road. That's just a little vision that you can kind of imagine how it felt."