Jon Merrill had the opportunity to catch his breath, but only after another solid all-around performance.

After playing for the U.S. National Junior team in the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships over the holiday break, the freshman defenseman could have had the luxury of taking this past weekend off, according to Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson.

But the Ann Arbor native declined, saying it wouldn’t be “too tough” to lace up the skates against Michigan State.

“I get to play hockey. I love to do it,” Merrill said before practice last Thursday, two hours after arriving at Detroit Metro Airport. “I know I wanted to play, so there’s no doubt in my mind that I was going to play.”

Berenson added: “He couldn’t wait to get back here. He was only gone a few weeks, but he was excited just to come back to Michigan.”

Merrill then proceeded to tally two assists, block six shots and log his usual significant minutes in the Wolverines' weekend split with Michigan State, picking up right where he left off in The Big Chill — he notched two goals in the team's 5-0 rout of the Spartans at the Big House.

Only after the split Merrill finally decided, along with Berenson's wishes, to take a break from practice on Monday and let his body recover from the past three weeks.

During that stretch, Merrill and sophomore forward Chris Brown represented their country in Buffalo, N.Y., playing nine games (including exhibitions) in 18 days against some of the world's best competition.

Merrill — who didn't seem to miss a beat against the Spartans after missing the Great Lakes Invitational — hasn't missed a game all season. Ironically, his defensive partner, senior Chad Langlais, never missed a game during his first year in Ann Arbor as well, and is a model of consistency in the lineup.

“He had the advantage of playing nine games in the last three weeks, whereas we only played two games,” Berenson said. “I wasn’t surprised because he played a high level of hockey, and then he got right back here and stepped back into his regular game.”

While he's played just 21 games as a Division I athlete, it's clear that Merrill plays with a relative smoothness and style that isn't characteristic of an 18-year-old.

In the Wolverines' 4-0 win over Michigan State on Saturday, Merrill had three Spartans scratching their heads and wondering why they couldn't steal the puck from him. With a loose puck lying in front of the Michigan bench in the middle of the first period, Merrill corralled it and dangled it through and around the defenders from practically a standstill, before head manning the puck to a fellow Wolverine.

“He’s one of those exceptional players … He knows what to do at this level,” Berenson said of Merrill, who is tied for fourth in CCHA defensive scoring. “He came in as a high, blue-chip recruit, and he’s lived up to it. That’s the hardest thing to do.”

But despite his maturity on the ice and his ability to keep opposing teams guessing with how he outmaneuvers them, there are still areas to improve on such as putting on some weight and getting quicker, according to Berenson — even for a player who has drawn comparisons by teammates to eventual Hall of Famer, Nick Lidstrom.

And being such a highly touted recruit and property of the New Jersey Devils, which drafted Merrill with the 38th pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, there's always the slight possibility he could sign an entry-level contract at anytime during his collegiate career.

Just look at ex-Wolverine defenseman Jack Johnson who left after his sophomore campaign, signing with the Los Angeles Kings as an example.

But for now, Berenson can breathe a sigh of relief and know that he'll have the highly-touted recruit in Ann Arbor for the time being.

“Right now, Jonny's really in a good place,” Berenson said.