MJ Maerkl was hired as assistant coach of the Venom on June 4, 2024. The 31-year-old will run the Venom’s bench during games, when coach Josh Newberg himself is in the lineup.
Maerkl was a player/assistant coach last season with the Elmira River Sharks in the FPHL. He appeared in 30 games and racked up 125 penalty minutes to go along with two goals and two assists. The two seasons prior to that, Maerkl and Newberg were teammates with the Binghamton Black Bears.
A rugged defenseman who’s also played forward, Maerkl has 126 games of professional experience in the FPHL for Danville, Binghamton and Elmira. He scored six goals, totaled 23 points and accumulated 454 penalty minutes along the way.
His coaching resume includes several years in junior hockey and four years with the USPHL’s Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Knights as an assistant coach and skills coach for their AAA program.
A Binghamton, NY, native, Maerkl is a graduate of SUNY Morrisville. He had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 39 games with them over two seasons.
Maerkl’s parents, John and Laura, and girlfriend, Rachel, reside in Binghamton.