Dawson Mercer Set to Play 400th Consecutive Game for the Devils
New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer will reach a career milestone today by playing his 400th straight NHL game. Mercer began his career with the Devils after being drafted 18th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 24-year-old has appeared in 82 games each season for the Devils for the past four years.
Continuing his steady presence, this season he has appeared in 71 games, recording 15 goals and 19 assists. In 399 career games, he has 98 goals and 103 assists. Reflecting on this upcoming milestone, he spoke about its significance to him with NJD.
tv. “Being able to put the gear on, have fun, go out there with a smile and play for the Devils…It’s a special moment,” he said. Mercer's streak has already seen him break records for consecutive games played at the start of a career—he passed Scott Gomez with 141 games—and now he prepares to surpass Travis Zajac, who played 401 straight games with the team from 2006 through 2011.
As he marks five years with the Devils, Mercer reflected on his journey so far. “It goes by pretty fast,” Mercer said. “It’s been five years now, and every night I’m happy to go out there and try to help my team win.
” Ahead of the team's 72nd game this season, Mercer shared his game plan. “Just making sure that we play smart… keep the play in front of us,” Mercer said. “We all can kind of play different roles… just reading off each other.