Perfetti ready to pounce Dynamic young Jets forward healthy, can’t wait for camp By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:24 PM CDT Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023

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This article was published 17/08/2023 (1095 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Winnipeg Jets player more anxious to get the new season going than Cole Perfetti.

The 21-year-old hasn’t tasted game action since way back on Feb. 19, when a promising campaign came to a painful end courtesy of an upper-body ailment. Perfetti tried to fast-track an expected two-month recovery — working his tail off as his team geared up for the playoffs — and was on the cusp of getting the green light just as they were being quickly eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in late April.

Injury. Meet insult.

“Obviously the off-season has been extremely long,” Perfetti told the Free Press in a wide-ranging telephone chat this week from his home in Whitby, Ont. “It sucks to be close to coming back — like really, really close — but you’ve got to do what’s right for your body and what’s right for my future. You know, it’s definitely extra motivation. I’m ready. I’m really ready.”

Not that he needs it, but there’s another little carrot dangling in front of Perfetti with training camp now just a month away. It comes in the form of a juicy job opening, specifically the second-line centre position that has been vacated by the now-departed Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Perfetti, who was in that spot in junior but has been used primarily as a winger in his 69 NHL games so far (51 last year, and 18 in 2021-22), believes he is a prime candidate.

“I feel comfortable in the middle of the ice. I think there’s a lot of positives that come from playing in the middle. There’s a lot more responsibility and all that stuff, but I think your game can really take another step,” said Perfetti, who was in the Calder Trophy conversation with 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) before going down.

“I’m happy to play either spot. I think any line combo, any mixing and matching is going to work out well.”

“I feel comfortable in the middle of the ice. I think there’s a lot of positives that come from playing in the middle.”–Cole Perfetti

His main competition will likely come from 24-year-old Gabriel Vilardi, who was one of the three pieces to come back from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Dubois. Like Perfetti, Vilardi is a natural centre who has mostly been used on the flank so far in his NHL career. Vladislav Namestnikov is another possibility, having filled the spot quite capably when the Jets were dealing with a number of injuries.

“I know there’s going to be more opportunity,” said Perfetti, alluding to the fact that Dubois and Blake Wheeler (bought out by Winnipeg, then signed as a free agent by the New York Rangers) are off the roster.

“I understand I have to work extra hard. And once I get an opportunity from Bones (coach Rick Bowness), whatever that may be, just take advantage of it. But at the same time, just try not to think about it too much, go about my business, work hard in the gym and on the ice, go out there and what happens, happens. But I want to go out and prove that I can fill those roles that Dubie and Wheels had in the past and be that guy that can step in and help the team take a huge step forward.”

Staying in the lineup is just as important for Perfetti as where he ultimately ends up playing. The 10th-overall pick from the 2020 draft has already dealt with three significant injuries in the first two years of his career, leading some to wonder whether the 5-11, 177-pounder is built for the rigours of a full NHL season.

“You know everyone is going to go through injuries. No one makes it through their career completely healthy. It’s just unfortunate they’ve happened so close. It’s just a part of playing a professional physical sport,” said Perfetti, who believes it’s just more about bad luck that any particular pattern he can identify.

“You try, as a young player, to learn from that. And you try to learn from guys like KC (Kyle Connor) and Lows (Adam Lowry), who played all 82 last year. They do a tremendous job taking care of their bodies. Obviously, no one ever wants to get hurt but to go through these kinds of injuries, go through this adversity as a young player… you’ve got a long career ahead and it’s all about how you deal with adversity, I think you can take positives from it. It sucks, but hopefully, that’s it for a while, knock on wood.”

“You know everyone is going to go through injuries… It’s just a part of playing a professional physical sport.”–Cole Perfetti

It’s worth noting that Perfetti has changed his trainer, hitching his wagon to Matt Nichol out of Toronto.

“He’s a big rehab guy. I’ve got a really good crew in Toronto, a group of like 30 NHL guys all there. It’s a really good program, and I’ve been feeling really, really good on and off the ice,” he said. “We’ve just been making sure everything is dialled in, making sure I’m feeling 100 per cent heading back to camp, which I am right now. So it’s been a great summer, and I’m really happy with how everything has been going.”

Perfetti, a true student of the game who is a former winner of the Ontario Hockey League’s scholastic player of the year award, is obviously a key piece of Winnipeg’s present. But he also represents a big part of the future. He’s taken notice of several other young exciting prospects now in the system, who recently opened plenty of eyes at Jets development camp last month. That includes recent first-round picks such as Chaz Lucius, Brad Lambert, Rutger McGroarty and Colby Barlow.

“I think we’ve done a really good job of drafting. There’s going to be some really high-end players for us in the future,” said Perfetti. “I’ve talked to all of those guys, spent a bit of time with Lambert and Lucius, I’m excited to meet McGroarty and Barlow. They seem like first-class people. It’s exciting to have those kinds of people coming into the organization, guys you know you’re going to spend a huge chunk of your career playing with.”

Perfetti also likes what he sees from the current Winnipeg roster which has added Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, while also retaining Namestnikov (who came at the trade deadline last year after Perfetti got hurt) along with Nino Niederreiter (also added at the deadline).

“We have a lot of guys that can play up and down the lineup, guys that bring a lot of hockey sense and skill, size and speed,” said Perfetti, who is coming to town just after Labour Day to get settled and begin informal skates with many of his early-arriving teammates before camp officially begins around Sept. 20.

“I think, going into the season, we’re in a really good spot. I think everyone is in a real positive mindset. I think guys realize we are a deep team. I’ve been chatting with a lot of the guys, and can’t wait to get back in the swing of things. Everyone is so excited to go back and start hanging out. It’s been a long summer for sure.”

“I think, going into the season, we’re in a really good spot. I think everyone is in a real positive mindset. I think guys realize we are a deep team.”–Cole Perfetti

That’s especially true in his case, where the waiting game has gone into extended overtime. No doubt the first regular-season game, set for Oct. 11 in Calgary and nearly eight full months since his last, is circled on the calendar.

“I’m just kind of sick of the offseason,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg