Photo Credit: Metcalfe Photography
It’s never too early to start talking about the NHL Draft, and there will be many questions facing this young orange and black team come June. Some questions range from are they going to move up or back? Are the Flyers drafting for positional needs in the system, such as, Right-Handed Defenseman, and snipers? These are some very valid questions that people have.
In year’s past the Flyers relied heavily on Head Scout Chris Pryor, and the drafting guru in Ron Hextall for overall success during the draft. Gone are those days, as the Flyers have a General Manager that had a solid draft last year in Chuck Fletcher. With that being said, there’s a Center/Winger that might catch the eye of Fletcher in the first round, and that is no other than a play making machine in Jacob Perreault. Perreault can play any position, as well, and he has all the skills to be a Flyer, “My dad helped me a lot,” Perreault said, “He’s been through it and he knows what what it takes. He instilled shooting into us. We always had a shooting target in the storage room. It builds up a lot of time after ten years of that, but it definitely helped for sure.”
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Perreault was born on April 15, 2002, in Montreal, QC, CAN (AKA the motherland of hockey). This native of Canada found a passion, and a love for the sport of hockey at a very young age, and as a matter of fact he started skating when he was just 2-3 years old. His passion for the game found himself playing for the Sarnia Sting for the 2019-20 season. At the young age of 17, he has registered 39 goals, and 31 assists for a total of 70 points in 57 games played. Perreault has these fancy stats in just his second season for the Sting, “Yea I think I learned a lot from last year,” Perreault said, “We had a lot of older Veterans that showed me the way. I think it helped me a lot. The Coaches and the Vets just told me to play my game and it’s helped me a lot.”
This young man in Perreault continued, “When I’m one of the older guys on the team, I’ll do the same to the younger guys.” Perreault is so darn talented and young, however, his hockey IQ ranks off the charts, and he transitions with the best of them. He’s explosive as Perreault pushes the play up the ice, and can put the biscuit in the basket most importantly. Perreault is a lethal goal scorer, but there is work that still needs to be done. The good thing about Perreault is he is young, and the Flyers can be patient with him. A player like Perreault could be what the doctor ordered, as he is a lethal goal scorer, but the Flyers wouldn’t need his services for about two or three years, possibly four. These type of prospects could interest Fletcher, as he has some prospects of his own knocking on the door for a job with the big club.
“I think I can use my playmaking ability to create, and if there’s no shot I can make the play back door,” Perreault said,“ I like to win.” The Flyers are building for long-term success and these type of values are exactly what Fletcher is looking for in a pure goal scorer, “I train with my dad in the Summer work on skills, skating, and things like that.”
There is familiarity with drafting from the Sting. A former sixth round selection by the Flyers in 2016, Anthony Salinitri, used to play for the Sting. The Flyers are very familiar with this program. Perreault has all the tools to succeed in the NHL eventually, but the Flyers could very well steal this 5’11″ 198 pounds sniper if he falls to their laps at the draft, “I model my game after Brock Boeser and Alex Ovechkin,” Perreault said, “These are some players I like to watch.”
Perreault finishes the interview with poise, “I think it would be special to be drafted by the Flyers,” says Perreault, “Growing up I’ve always been a big Giroux fan, and I think it would be neat to be drafted by them.” If Perreault is still on the board when the Flyers are selecting, more than likely anywhere’s from 20-31, the Flyers would be blessed to take this sniper in Perreault with their first round selection.
