Going quietly about their business

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/12/2020 (1751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cole Perfetti foresees a fiercely inspired Team Canada — undeterred by an absence of a raging sea of red — at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The soon-to-be 19-year-old from Whitby, Ont., says a passion that fuels each member of the national squad won’t be sapped by an empty Rogers Place in Edmonton.

“It’s all about what you carry internally, that personal drive. Preparing mentally in practice and in warm-ups, and being ready for games,” Perfetti said on Christmas Day during a phone chat with the Free Press.

The Winnipeg Jets’ first-rounder (10th overall) at the NHL draft in October was just hours from Canada’s final practice, in preparation for a Boxing Day battle with Germany (5 p.m, TSN) to kick off the traditional holiday-season tournament. It’s being staged at the swanky home of the Edmonton Oilers without fans in attendance, in a secure-zone bubble similar to what the NHL used for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“There’s no crowd to energize you when there’s a big hit, a blocked shot or a goal scored. Usually, you build off that emotion from the crowd and get yourself into it. Now, you’ll rely on your teammates more, feeding off their energy, feeding off the flow of the game,” said Perfetti, a forward with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. “There’s no one inside watching games, no one watching practices, the concourse is a ghost town and it has a weird feeling to it. The place would normally be nuts and there’d be that buzz on the street, but it’s quiet downtown so there isn’t that feel to it.

“But we’re getting amazing support online and with the TV coverage. Hockey Canada treats us so well and the support we get from the across the country and how big a deal this tournament is, it’s truly an honour to be on the team and just be a part of this holiday tradition.”

It’s Perfetti’s third stint representing his country. He participated in the 2018 world U17 championship in New Brunswick and then was a standout last year at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup (split between Slovakia and the Czech Republic), scoring five goals and adding a pair of assists in five games as Canada earned a silver medal.

Cut from the roster just prior to the World Juniors a year go, he couldn’t bear to watch the action as Canada struck gold. He channelled his energy into being more of an impact player in the OHL, scoring 10 goals and amassing 32 points in the first 15 games back with the Spirit.

He finished with 37 goals and registered 111 points in 61 games to finish second in OHL scoring. He was selected to the league’s second all-star team and was recognized as the scholastic player of the year for all of Canadian junior hockey.

Perfetti said the responsibility of representing the Maple Leaf is a privilege, never a burden.

“Every time, it’s something special. (Wednesday) when I put on the jersey (in a pre-tournament test against Russia), I got goosebumps. It’s hard to explain. You’re representing the best country and all the guys that have worn that jersey before you,” he said. “It’s a lot of responsibility and you have to play your game and live up to the expectations.”

Canada played sound defensively Wednesday to edge the Russians 1-0 on a goal by defenceman Jamie Drysdale in the team’s lone tune-up game. Perfetti and Bowen Byram drew the assists. Perfetti has been skating on a forward unit with returning player Connor McMichael and Peyton Krebs, a star with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice.

‘The place would normally be nuts and there’d be that buzz on the street, but it’s quiet downtown’– Cole Perfetti on the strange atmosphere

“The first thing I noticed was how fast it was. Not playing for nine months and then going into that, it was very fast, especially the Russians. They’re really quick through the neutral zone and on transition, so it was definitely very fast. But I felt good, I felt strong and I thought I played well. I thought I was creating chances off the rush and down low and played a responsible game,” Perfetti said.

Canada won’t have team captain Kirby Dach, a regular during the 2019-20 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, for the rest of the tournament after he suffered a wrist injury against Russia. It’s not clear how his absence will alter head coach Andre Tourigny’s thinking when it comes to his personnel up front.

Perfetti is quite comfortable with his current linemates but is willing to perform all duties as assigned.

“Kirby is an amazing player. Obviously, it sucks losing your captain and a player like that. I feel bad for him personally. He really wanted to play in this tournament. He didn’t have to come back. Chicago didn’t really want him to. But he was determined to play, he wanted to represent his country. So, for him to go down like that, before he even plays his first real game, I just feel bad for him. It was kind of a fluke accident and so we’re going to play for him,” said Perfetti.

“I’m not too sure how it will all shake out. I thought our line had a really good game. We’ve been strong in practices, that chemistry has been building for a couple of weeks now and I like how we’ve been progressing. So, I’d like to stay together, but at the end of the day it’s the coach’s decision.”

Canada meets Slovakia on Sunday (5 p.m., TSN), Switzerland on Tuesday (5 p.m., TSN), and Finland on New Year’s Eve (Thursday, 5 p.m. TSN) to finish group play. The top four teams in each group will play in the quarter-finals Jan. 2. The semifinals are Jan. 4, and the championship and third-place games are Jan. 5.

Perfetti, who celebrates a birthday Jan. 1, said while he cherishes all the traditions of the family Christmas, he’s just fine skipping this one.

“It’s tough being away from my mom (Sandra), dad (Angelo) and sister (Abby). We usually wake up early on Christmas Day, open gifts, make a huge breakfast and hang out for the day, and then spend Christmas evening with relatives. I’m missing my family now but they’re back home supporting me,” he said. “This has always been a family dream. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

Perfetti is projected as the Jets’ second-line centre of the future, behind Mark Scheifele, and he will head to Winnipeg for his first NHL training camp after the WJHC. At the conclusion of camp he will either stick with the Jets (on the roster or the new taxi squad) or be forced to wait for his next chance to play; he’s not eligible to play for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, and a start date for the OHL hasn’t been set.

Regardless, his professional inauguration is hardly top of mind.

“My eyes are on the world juniors and winning the gold medal. But when I head to Winnipeg, whenever that is, I’ll be excited to get there and compete in training camp, and try and get a spot on that team, crack the lineup. That’s the goal, that’s the dream,” Perfetti said. “But I haven’t thought too much about it. My focus is entirely on Team Canada.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell