As we were approaching the end of March, the Montreal Canadiens signed Sean Farrell to an entry-level contract, two-and-a-half years after he was drafted 124th overall. At that point, Farrell was coming off a 56-point rookie season with the Chicago Steel in the USHL, averaging around 1.20 points per game. Most memorable that night was a tweet by one of his former teammates in the U.S. National Team Development Program, telling everyone who wanted to listen that this was indeed a great pick.
STEAL. https://t.co/1xhD6ZWgWm
— Cole Caufield (@colecaufield) October 7, 2020
Perhaps we should tell Kent Hughes to make Cole Caufield part of the Canadiens’ amateur scouting team?
Fast forward to 2023 where the Steel have a new diminutive playmaker who’s turning people’s heads. He is also averaging around 1.20 points per game, albeit in his second season in the USHL. The question this time is whether teams have learned their lesson not to wait until the fourth round to select them.
Birthplace: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Date of birth: January 11, 2005
Shoots: Right
Position: Forward
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 157 lbs.
Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
Jayden Perron is Canadian born and raised but has elected not to play CHL hockey, instead having committed to the University of North Dakota, where he’ll play from the start of this upcoming autumn.
While waiting to become eligible for the Fighting Hawks, Perron leapt across the border. The Steel have an excellent record for managing and developing top talent before sending the players on to college duty.
Apart from Farrell, they have been the USHL address for recent first-round selections Owen Power, Matthew Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, Brendan Brisson, and this upcoming summer’s best human prospect, Adam Fantilli.
In this case, the Steel forfeited a first-round selection in the 2021 USHL Phase 1 Draft by instead signing Perron to a tender in December, 2020. The contract required the player to be featured in at least 55% of the eligible games during the 2021-22 season, barring eventual injuries and/or suspensions. Chicago has made a habit out of these signed tenders, previously doing the same both for Fantilli and current Red Wings hopeful Robert Mastrosimone.
At the time of the signing, Chicago’s assistant general manager, Noëlle Needham, had the following to say about their new addition:
“Jayden’s elite mindset, appreciation for development, and his genuine love of the game are qualities that make him a perfect fit for the Chicago Steel.”
Perron is a creative player; one with a huge amounts of hockey sense. The lack of size is compensated for with evasiveness and technique whilst being in possession. His skill and vision are features that will continue to make him a difficult player to defend against as he moves up to more challenging levels.
He may not wow you with his straight-line skating speed, but he has enough technique and edge-work for it to not be seen as an issue going forward. Despite his current lack of bulk, he does well to keep up in battles along the board. Perron is a small but feisty player who positions himself well and can shield the puck against bigger opponents.
Could he use a few more pounds and additional pace? Yes, of course, but those additions would, in this case, be cherries on top of an already well-crafted ice cream sundae.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #11
Elite Prospects: #19
FCHockey: #17
Hockey Prospect: #29
Hadi Kalakeche: #8
McKeen’s: #34
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #50
NHL Central Scouting: #28 (North American Skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): N/R in Top 34
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #28
We see a wide spread of rankings here, from a high of eight all the way down to the middle of the second round. Bob McKenzie bases his draft rankings on what he hears from the NHL teams’ scouts, meaning that there is a possibility that Perron will still be available on the second day of the draft.
When I saw that our own Catching The Torch writer Hadi Kalakeche had Perron ranked as his eighth-best prospect overall, I felt the need to ask him about it.
“He’s just so damn fun to watch, and he’s also got a pretty good baseline of defensive awareness and intensity. He’s got the big three: smarts, speed, and intensity.
“He handles physical scenarios against bigger D really well. As he grows and bulks up, it’ll be nothing new for him to face bigger guys in corners. The foundations of good board mechanics are there so I’m not worried at all.”
I asked his thoughts on why other draft analysts seemed a bit lower on the Winnipeg native.
“I think it’s the lack of size and the lack of consistency. He doesn’t really show up every night. If you can fix that though, Perron is found money in the top 15.”
I am going to be honest here, Hadi’s words really got to me. Perron definitely sounds intriguing. We saw just last year how teams continue to underestimate smaller prospects while overvaluing size, with Lane Hutson falling to 61 with guys like Noah Warren and Maveric Lamoureux chosen much earlier. I have nothing against Warren and Lamoureux, but they do not bring anything unique to the table. There are large, defensively sound defencemen available in every single round of every single draft.
No, you will not win a Stanley Cup with a team on which everyone is 5’9’’ and weighs 160 pounds. What you definitely need though are smart, multi-dimensional players who can add more than just a single thing to your lineup.
In an NHL where skill and offence is more important than ever before, you need some game-changers who know how to play the transitional game and who operate well in the offensive zone.
If developed right through his college years, Jayden Perron could provide a team with those exact qualities.
Anton Rasegård
