Draft Round 1 #23: New York Rangers Select RW Gabriel Perreault (Boston College, NCAA)

[bhamill]

When people knock Perreault for his skating, it tells me one of two things: they haven't watched him for a while, or they've watched him but don't know how to evaluate skating.

His skating isn't a strength but it's not a weakness at this point and using it as a criticism is lame.

Correct!

 

[NYR Viper]

4-1 loss. Gabe with the only goal, and 9 shots.

Jesus, 9 shots!

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Jesus, 9 shots!

It was lowered to 6 shots after the game. Team had 44 shots, just ran into a hot goalie unfortunately.

 

[kovazub94]

Jesus, 9 shots!

The game itself was pretty entertaining and competitive back-and-forth all the way.

 

[TGWL]

If this is your idea of “hysterical” I don’t know what to tell you.
I’ve read the thread and we are going on about Gabe’s size, which at 5’11 180 is ALREADY not an issue and he will almost certainly be playing in the NHL at 190 pounds. The dude is not “small,” he’s a bit below the NHL average. If he’s “small” probably 40% of the NHL is small... He doesn’t NEED to be stocky and in fact that might be counterproductive to his game.
If he’s going to succeed it will be on the strengths he was drafted for, his IQ, vision, hands, shot, etc, and his speed and size are not detrimental.

We're not saying he's 5'9, or that Perreault has to get stocky. the conversation shifted to smaller players, and how those under 5'10 usually excel because they have great lower body control.

If Perreault is 5'9, then Hagen is like 5'7, and Fortescue is barely 6, never mind being listed at 6'2. Nobody is saying that. With that said, I don't think he's quite 180 despite being listed as that.

 

[tiggles]

Wheeler has Gabe ranked at #9, right behind Leonard at #8 (and ahead of Sennecke at #10) in his top 100 prospects list that he released today. All those guys are in his second tier (Demidov is the only guy in Tier 1).

He's always been one of the highest on Gabe and is sticking to his guns.

 

[bhamill]

We're not saying he's 5'9, or that Perreault has to get stocky. the conversation shifted to smaller players, and how those under 5'10 usually excel because they have great lower body control.

If Perreault is 5'9, then Hagen is like 5'7, and Fortescue is barely 6, never mind being listed at 6'2. Nobody is saying that. With that said, I don't think he's quite 180 despite being listed as that.

I get it.
BC had him at 178 to start the season, not quite 180. And 5’11”. He seems to be gaining 6lbs an off season at this point. Pretty reasonable.

 

[JCProdigy]

Wheeler has Gabe ranked at #9, right behind Leonard at #8 (and ahead of Sennecke at #10) in his top 100 prospects list that he released today. All those guys are in his second tier (Demidov is the only guy in Tier 1).

He's always been one of the highest on Gabe and is sticking to his guns.

Wheeler's writeup for Perreault at 9:

I stuck my neck out on Perreault in his draft year and I remain bullish on him as one of the most talented and offensively intelligent prospects in the game. When the points pile up like they have, and they happen while making the kinds of plays that he does, you can’t ignore them. You can say what you will about his skinny frame (though he has added substantial muscle, at least relatively speaking, in recent years). You can say what you will about perceived questions of skating (which I think completely lost the plot in his draft year). You can say what you will about his linemates at the NTDP and BC. But it’s Perreault who holds the program’s single-season points record, it was Perreault who, before missing a few games to injury, led the Eagles in scoring as a freshman for much of last season before finishing with a rare 60-point season anyway, and it’s Perreault who leads BC in scoring as a sophomore this season.

I see a clever-beyond-belief facilitator and playmaker who plays the game with a light touch and a heady spatial awareness of not only where his teammates are, but where he is in the flow of play (and relative to defenders). The son of former longtime NHLer Yanic Perreault and brother of Oilers prospect Jacob Perreault, Gabe doesn’t have his dad’s defensive acumen or his brother’s build (Gabe is now listed at 178 pounds, Jacob at 196), but he’s a highly intuitive player who sees the play develop offensively at a more advanced level than his two family members did/do — and comparably to any prospect in the sport.

He’s got extremely quick hands to complement that mind for the game offensively and allow him to execute all the plays he sees. He problem-solves his way out of trouble as well as just about anyone his age that I’ve watched. He’s got dexterous tools catching, tipping and redirecting pucks on first touch. He arrives into space at exactly the right times to make himself available and finish plays. His ability to bait defenders and open them up so that he can slide passes through their feet is so impressive. He gets shots off extremely fast and without bobbles in catch-and-release sequences. He plans things out on the ice at speed and then finds ways to make his desired play.

He’s a slick one-on-one player but will also wait for that extra split-second and then just sling a pass tape-to-tape across the grain. He has become a bit of a puck thief, consistently tracking back hard to empty the tank and make effort plays on lifts. There are times when he waits too long to make his plays, but you live with that given his unique ability to find guys in open space with real craft and puck skill in possession.

And he’s a better skater than he gets credit for, with above-average speed for my money and developing power as he has gotten stronger. I see a skilled, clever, nifty top-six playmaking winger with clear PP1 upside. I think he’s got a chance to be a star, too.