He will need to be very very good to carve out a top 6 Center role as a east west player. He can utilize this in the offensive zone with the right wingers but from your goal line to the other teams blueline the NHL is pretty much straight lines.
Player Discussion: Cole Perfetti 10th OA pick
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He definitely looked quicker earlier on. May be conditioning, he’s had a long stretch without gameplay.
A little puzzled by how quick some are to give up on the kid on the basis of a short tourney, but feel like we’ve been here before with prospects and will be here again. Tomorrow is, as they say, another game. He will know he has to improve and where, and will. I’d best my finest hat on it.
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Will the OHL be starting after WJC, or will Perfetti have another break from play? And is he just going to be flying around and training with Jets if OHL isnt an option
Not giving up on him. His talent is obvious. He has Mark Stone like qualities in anticipating play and knocking down pucks. But he is slow. That may be a problem.
Buffdog
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2019
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I thought he looked gassed at times today too. I realize it's only a year or two but for some kids that 17-18 -19 transition brings a lot of muscle growth. A 20 year old out there may develop more of an advantage as games go on, and/or the tournament goes on.
That said, I was hoping just on physical size/weight that he'd be able to come in and learn the NHL on the fly this year but he doesn't look ready to do so IMHO
Gil Fisher
Registered User
OHL is indefinitely delayed due to latest shutdown in Ontario. He will definitely be coming to camp and skating with Jets, Moose or Taxi. No way they just let him sit at home.
GaryPoppins
A broken clock is right twice in a day
- Sep 10, 2016
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I think he’s pulled a Morrissey... tried to bulk up a little too much but did it the wrong way and it slowed him down. That’d also explain the conditioning given he’s likely playing above the weight he’s used to after an absurdly long time off versus arguably the toughest competition he’s faced to date...
I was mostly referring to the ozone. You are right goal line to blue line is straight line and that is what he has been doing successfully all tournament. I was more referring about the fact that he hasn't been using his agility and creativity enough in the ozone. I think that is clearly by design.
Hard to say. I think he just needs another couple of weeks of game play to ratchet up to speed. Normally all of these players have played for months before this tournament. He seemed to start slow in the OHL last year as well so maybe he is the new Wheeler where it takes him a bit to get going:p
I think Perfetti will get there, and he is likely to have linemates that can take advantage. He will need to keep working on his skating as this could be a limiting factor at the NHL level.
Absolutely. He needs to keep working and constantly skate like he was early on in the tournament and then build off of it.
This kid thinks he is playing basketball and hasn't spent 3 seconds in they key yet.
Summing up some thoughts.
1. At times you can see the talent just needs consistency. It does trouble me a little that you see consistency with a lot of team Canada players except him.
2. he had a slow start (goal scoring) last year in juniors. He set up a lot of goals though. Think he is deferring a lot. Even though he is shooting more the last few games I might think that he is shooting without confidence.
3. in the under 18 tournament last year he had the puck on his stick a lot more. He was the go to guy. Not sure how this translates but he is still effective.
4. been zoning in on him all tournament and he stands out compared to other team Canada players in skating. Like the comparison to our number one Center at the same age.
5. none of this worries me because I see big future for him.
1. At times you can see the talent just needs consistency. It does trouble me a little that you see consistency with a lot of team Canada players except him.
2. he had a slow start (goal scoring) last year in juniors. He set up a lot of goals though. Think he is deferring a lot. Even though he is shooting more the last few games I might think that he is shooting without confidence.
3. in the under 18 tournament last year he had the puck on his stick a lot more. He was the go to guy. Not sure how this translates but he is still effective.
4. been zoning in on him all tournament and he stands out compared to other team Canada players in skating. Like the comparison to our number one Center at the same age.
5. none of this worries me because I see big future for him.
tbcwpg
Moderator
- Jan 25, 2011
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A lot of the Team Canada guys are a year older. The difference between being 18 and 19 in this tournament is big.
- Mar 10, 2010
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This was the reason he fell to #10. Rossi fell to #9 because he is 5’9” and that carries a real risk when projecting center position. Askarov dropped to #11 because he’s a goalie. Lundell dropped to #12 because his skating could limit his upside in the NHL.
Cole needs to get better at skating and that is exactly what the challenge was a few months ago when we drafted him at #10. The primary opportunity right now is correcting his upper body position during his forward stride. He developed a really bad habit along the way of and he needs to quit leaning way out over his skates. He needs to straiten his upper body up to 50-55 degrees and get way more upright in his posture. my kid had to correct the exact same thing, when you lay out over your skates like Cole does everything breaks down.
The question is is this fixable? If you talk to skating coaches they will tell you even at the pro level skating can be corrected in a very high % of situations when two elements are present. Buy in (give a shit factor) and effort. They would also tell you the biggest challenge is buy in. They will share stories of pros who just show up but aren’t committed and nothing changes but will also say if the acknowledgment (buy in) is there and they put in the work anything can be corrected.
So a few questions that are important on this challenge because these are not givens.....many NHL players don’t buy in.
1) has Cole acknowledged his #1 challenge to ready himself for the next level is his skating?
2) has he hired a coach and is is working on it?
3) will Cole have the necessary buy in?
If we can answer yes to the 3 questions above that puts Cole in a good position to improve at his skating but this could take a couple of years.
To the game last night I thought Perfetti and his line had a good 2nd period but when they juggled lines in the 3rd they had less chemistry.
Nothing has changed in my opinion of drafting Perfetti. He was a steal at #10 and has a very high ceiling and YES just like on draft day he does need to get better at skating. Lastly I would recommend caution in overweighting one tournament in prospect evaluations. I realize this is how we roll in Canada but take a deep breath and enjoy the games.
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Gil Fisher
Registered User
I hear that a lot...I wonder if anyone has published the mean age of a player in this tournament. Is the Max age 19 at Sept 20?
One of my kids is an 02 and has played against Perfetti quite a bit over the years. Perfetti has never been a great skater but he would tear up opponents with his hockey sense and his ability to analyze the play faster than everyone else. I’m surprised at how slow he seems now. He was an average skater coming up but now seems to be below average at best. Of course, he at an elite level now so he’s being compared to elite skaters. Watch him in the next two game when he’s forced into a foot race with other players. Not good. As others say, skating can be fixed to an extent but it is not easy to break habits and the improvements are incremental. I hope he improves.
When I analyze prospects in these types of tournaments, I look for different things for different players, based on their age and physical maturity, and strengths and weaknesses.
When I watched Samberg, I knew he was physically strong and a good skater, but I wanted to see if he processed the game quickly and would make sharp decisions with the puck against top competition. He didn't show much offense, but I didn't expect that at that stage. But he checked all the boxes that I thought would be key to NHL success.
This year, I was looking for Heinola to do more than make good decisions with the puck and pass well, I wanted to see a step forward in his skating and ability to handle bigger, faster players. He's shown substantial strides in those areas, becoming closer to the dominant D you'd expect at this stage at this level.
I expected Perfetti to struggle with the page and physicality in this tournament, but I wanted to see if he was able to still make decisions and plays at this pace, so that when he gets bigger and faster he could translate those strengths to the NHL. So far, I think his decision making and positioning have been very good, and his vision and passing are really good. He clearly needs more strength and quickness, but he is already able to cope with a very high pace reasonably well. Now, it's all about his work ethic and whether he can get his skating and endurance to the level needed to make an impact at the NHL level. He seems motivated enough, and his play in the tournament suggests he's coachable and a good teammate. Now, we wait...
When I watched Samberg, I knew he was physically strong and a good skater, but I wanted to see if he processed the game quickly and would make sharp decisions with the puck against top competition. He didn't show much offense, but I didn't expect that at that stage. But he checked all the boxes that I thought would be key to NHL success.
This year, I was looking for Heinola to do more than make good decisions with the puck and pass well, I wanted to see a step forward in his skating and ability to handle bigger, faster players. He's shown substantial strides in those areas, becoming closer to the dominant D you'd expect at this stage at this level.
I expected Perfetti to struggle with the page and physicality in this tournament, but I wanted to see if he was able to still make decisions and plays at this pace, so that when he gets bigger and faster he could translate those strengths to the NHL. So far, I think his decision making and positioning have been very good, and his vision and passing are really good. He clearly needs more strength and quickness, but he is already able to cope with a very high pace reasonably well. Now, it's all about his work ethic and whether he can get his skating and endurance to the level needed to make an impact at the NHL level. He seems motivated enough, and his play in the tournament suggests he's coachable and a good teammate. Now, we wait...
rubikscube
Registered User
Just make him sign a contract that says he has to train using Scheifele's offseason program. Problem solved 
- Mar 10, 2010
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There have been some pretty good examples of guys who radically transformed their skating that were high draft picks,s with this as their only red flag. Three that come to mind are Barkov, Draisaitl, and Horvat. Draisaitl in particular had a very awkward skating stride in his draft season and I am shocked at his improvement not check that total transformation. Barkov is not even remotely close to the same plodding skater he was as an 18 year old. He totally transformed his technique. Horvat to a lesser extent needed to add at least a step and did that many more.
Cole can do it but it but it’s not a given. The fact he knows and cares is a huge help.
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So many Jets forwards are weak at one foundational element of their game. Add young Mr. Confetti to the list.
Looks like the NHL is at least a couple years away, but that is expected.
Looks like the NHL is at least a couple years away, but that is expected.
- Dec 29, 2016
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He looks to be a very inefficient skater at this point. His skating style will need to be tweaked and there is no reason he can't get help with that.
The guys that need work on their skating are going to struggle in a tourney like this - lots of games on top of each other with high tempo from start to finish.
As the tournament wears on, he'll likely look worse - he's expending way too much energy getting around out there. This is why naturally good skaters have a huge advantage over those that need to work on that part of their game.
If he can be quicker, first steps, he'll be fine - he doesn't need to be an up and down speedster to be a great player. The game is more about puck movement and positioning over flat out speed. But you need to have at least enough speed to keep up with the play and enough quickness to break out or escape pressure.
I don't see this as a fitness or even a muscle development issue (although both areas are part of it at this point in his development).
I'd say the Jets are going to work on this skating mechanics as a priority and that will make a huge difference in his game if he's able to develop.
Channelcat
Unhinged user
Yes, we are evaluating him next to guys like Cozens, Krebs, Zegras who are all a year ahead.
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