Perron picked by Portland

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This article was published 22/04/2020 (2170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jayden Perron knows Cody Glass and Seth Jarvis by reputation. 

The question is, will the 15-year-old Winnipeg AAA Bantam Warriors centre be the next offensive star from Winnipeg to make a splash with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks?

“Hopefully, it all works out and I play for Portland,” said Perron on Wednesday after the Winterhawks made him their opening pick and the 23rd-overall selection at the WHL Bantam Draft. “It sounds great to be the next Seth Jarvis or Cody Glass.”

Glass, a centre, was the No. 6 overall pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft and has since graduated to the pro ranks while Jarvis, a right-winger, has emerged from a superb sophomore season in Portland to become a likely first-round pick at this summer’s NHL draft.

Perron, meanwhile, had been touted as a potential first-rounder in the WHL draft but falling to the second round — Portland had previously traded its first-round choice — was not a big deal in his mind.

“I’m completely fine with it,” said Perron, the first Manitoban chosen in the draft of players born in 2005. “It was Portland’s first pick, so I’m all good with that. I knew they had an interest in me but you can’t guarantee anything.”

The 5-7, 130-pounder lit up the Winnipeg AAA Bantam League with 56 goals and 131 points in a combined 46 regular-season and playoff games this season, and Winterhawks general manager and head coach Mike Johnston was thrilled to get him.

“The Winnipeg connection continues,” said Johnston with a laugh via phone. “He’s a really skilled, smart player. As with all these young guys, you don’t know how they’re going to grow or fill out. It was the same with Seth. We had (Perron) rated in the top 10 on our list and we got him at (No.) 23 and like Seth, or even like Cody Glass, these guys are going to have college options.”

Perron said he plans to keep his NCAA options open.

“Hopefully, it all works out and I play for Portland. It sounds great to be the next Seth Jarvis or Cody Glass.”
– Jayden Perron

“People in our league get nervous about players that may or may not go to college,” said Johnston. “We’ve hit and missed on guys over the years but we’re not usually afraid to pick a player and try to sell him on our program. And that’s (what) we plan to do (with Perron) over the next five or six months.”

Manitoba was shut out in the first round of Wednesday’s draft but five homegrown players were chosen in the second round.

Perron’s teammate, centre Lukas Hansen, went to the Saskatoon Blades five picks later. Many considered Hansen a first-round talent but some pandemic-related factors may have weighed against Manitoba prospects.

“The draft was heavily on the side of the prep schools and Saskatchewan, which I knew was going to happen because the Pursuit of Excellence (season-ending camp in Manitoba) didn’t happen here and the general managers didn’t get to see Manitoba,” said Hansen. “So I had an idea I wouldn’t go as high as a think I should have.”

Hansen met extensively with the Blades’ representatives prior to the draft and felt he made a good impression. He will now be able to begin his WHL career relatively close to home.

“It’s not expensive to fly and I get to play eight games (per season) in Manitoba, so that’s very good,” said Hansen.

“He’s a really skilled, smart player. As with all these young guys, you don’t know how they’re going to grow or fill out. It was the same with Seth. We had (Perron) rated in the top 10 on our list and we got him at (No.) 23.”
– Portland Winterhawks general manager and head coach Mike Johnston

Also among the 32 Manitobans selected were: Roblin’s Jayden Dube, a right-winger who scored a whopping 74 goals and 130 points in 36 regular-season games with the Parkland AAA Bantam Rangers, went 29th to the Seattle Thunderbirds; centre Rylan Gould and blue-liner Grayson Burzynski, both of the Winnipeg AAA Bantam Monarchs, went 44th and 46th, respectively, to the Swift Current Broncos.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca