Monster season expected from Perron
Winnipegger being touted as potential first-rounder in 2023 NHL Draft
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/08/2022 (1145 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
At first glance, the absence of Jayden Perron from Canada’s roster at the recent Hlinka Gretzky Cup showcase was a stunning omission.
A high-end scorer with uncanny playmaking ability, the 17-year-old centre from Winnipeg has the overall skill set to be recognized as one of the country’s top 2005-born prospects.
Before he even made his rookie debut with the USHL’s Chicago Steel last fall, Perron had already made a verbal commitment to attend the University of North Dakota — one of the NCAA’s best programs — and he’s now being touted as a first-round NHL draft pick in 2023.
ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Jayden Perron does some dangling during a drill with Evolution Hockey at the Winnipeg Winter Club.
Under Hockey Canada’s current COVID-19 rules, Perron, who admitted this week he is unvaccinated, won’t be suiting up for Canada. He was invited but could not attend the Capital City U17 Challenge in Ottawa last December and his unvaccinated status made him a no-go for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer.
“As a young, athletic kid, I don’t feel like I need it,” said Perron, following a workout at the Winnipeg Winter Club this week.
“And I’ve been completely fine for however long it’s been around, so why get it now? And if it means that I have to miss out on a few things like that — I mean it’s not fun, and I wish I could be there — but I think it’s worth it for my own health and for my future.”
Perron will return to Chicago later this month for his sophomore season in the USHL, which does not required players to be vaccinated. On the other hand, the WHL and Junior A leagues such as the MJHL had a vaccine requirement.
The MJHL removed its vaccine requirement earlier this year when the proof-of-vaccination requirement was lifted by the provincial government, while it is unlikely the WHL will follow suit because of restrictions on cross-border travel.
Perron has been encouraged to change his mind, but he hopes Hockey Canada will eventually change its policy.
“I have been already (pressured) and if I can miss out on the Hlinka, then I feel like I can be completely fine with whatever comes,” said Perron, adding he had “four or five” unvaccinated teammates in Chicago last season. “I’ve felt pressure and I’m completely OK with that and I think I’ll make it work with whatever comes at me in the future.”
His immediate future in the USHL looks particularly good. He took a three-week break from hockey after the season and has returned to the ice re-energized.
“It was my first long and hard season (and) playing 60 games a year, it’s not easy as a young guy,” said Perron. “So, it’s good to get away from the rink.”
After scoring 17 goals and 45 points in 60 games in 2021-22, he’s expected to post monster numbers this winter on a talent-laden Steel roster despite the departure of linemate Adam Fantilli to the University of Michigan.
In Chicago, there is the possibility of a dynamic partnership with incoming 16-year-old forward Macklin Celebrini, who is being touted as a No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
In fact, Perron and Celebrini will be roomates this season.
Perron’s yearly advancements have been charted by Evolution Hockey founder Riley Dudar.
“Everything’s quicker, faster, smarter,” said Dudar, who has worked with Perron in the off-season for the past five years. “When you talk about progression, he’s doing all the same stuff but it’s just better, if that makes sense. There’s more to everything. Instead of back in the day when he’d make one fake, now he makes two or three.”
Considered undersized when he was chosen by the Portland Winterhawks in the second round (23th overall) in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Perron has added two inches and 35 pounds in the last two years and now stands 5-9, 160.
He’s also getting more adept at handling the contact he faces.
“Over the last couple of years he has grown and he’s starting to thicken out a little bit,” said Dudar. “He’s putting on that size. But right from a young age, everyone was always saying, ‘Oh, wait ‘til there’s hitting. He’s not gonna be able to do that.’
“And we were all like, he’s gonna do it even more because all these idiots are gonna run around trying to hit him and he’s just going to walk right around these guys.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter @sawa14