Less than five years after the Sharks made him a first-round draft pick, defenseman Ryan Merkley has requested a trade from the organization, feeling a fresh start elsewhere will help him rejuvenate his professional career.

The 22-year-old Merkley, who has spent the entire season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, recently made the trade request and the Sharks are trying to accommodate him, according to Frank Seravalli of dailyfaceoff.com.

“We feel a change will be better for him opportunity-wise after five years,” Merkley’s agent, J.P. Barry, wrote in an email to this news organization.