Meurs returns to Wheeling after career-best season

WHEELING, W.Va. - The Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced the team has re-signed forward Garrett Meurs to a contract for the 2017-18 season.

Meurs enters his fifth professional season and second with the Nailers, as he came to Wheeling last summer, following three seasons in the Colorado Avalanche organization. Meurs was one of the top offensive performers for the Nailers last season, as he finished second on the squad with 25 goals, while his 55 points were good for fourth on the team. The 24-year-old has tallied 112 points (55g-57a) in his ECHL career with the Nailers and Fort Wayne Komets, while adding 14 points (6g-8a) in 88 career American Hockey League games with Lake Erie, San Antonio and Milwaukee.

Prior to turning pro, the Wingham, Ontario native played four seasons of junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers. There, he collected 192 points (78g-114a) in 265 games. Meurs' best campaign was his final one in 2012-13, when he accumulated 32 goals and 65 points to lead the team in scoring, while helping the Whalers reach the conference final round. At the conclusion of his second season in Plymouth, Meurs was selected in the fifth round (123rd overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.