San Diego Seals Hire Team’s First General Manager and Head Coach in Patrick Merrill
Credit: SD Seals
NLL’s San Diego Seals hire former-player Patrick Merrill as team’s first General Manager and Head Coach.
There hasn’t been a lot of news released since the NLL announced its newest expansion team in the San Diego Seals. Aside from location, mascot, logo, and uniforms, not much has been “surfaced.”
However, today the Seals announced their head coach and general manager heading into the inaugural season to be ex-National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Major Lacrosse League (MLL) player Patrick Merrill.
Merrill was first introduced to the NLL in 2003 when he was drafted in the first round by the Toronto Rock. He played there for five years before being drafted first overall in the 2008 expansion draft, which was eventually followed by a discontinued 2008 season.
Merrill was thrown back up on the draft board with the rest of the players where he was chosen second overall by the New York (later moved to Orlando) Titans where he played for three seasons. In 2011, he made his way back to Toronto where he finished his playing career all the way up until the 2017 season.
The inaugural head coach/GM only missed the playoffs once in his 15-year career (2016) and he played in a total of 27 playoff games and 221 regular season games. It’s safe to say that he will be bringing a ton of experience to the Seals.
The first General Manager and Head Coach in San Diego Seals history. Welcome to San Diego, @PatrickMerrill9! ? pic.twitter.com/MFVYWPYJUO
— San Diego Seals (@SanDiegoLax) April 3, 201
Being that Merrill just finished the 2017 season as a player, it is a quick jump to being the general manager and head coach of a brand new team.
Expectations may be low for the expansion team in San Diego, but the experienced and driven Patrick Merrill may be able to guide this team into the playoffs where he spent so many years of his career as a player.
Derek is a 22-year-old out of Lemon Grove, California. A burning passion for San Diego sports led him to pursue an opportunity to write and share about what’s going on with the teams in America’s Finest City. A young and aspiring sports journalist looking to grow his knowledge and expand his experience at any opportunity.