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Rangers keep pick and select Gabe Perreault at 23 |
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The Rangers, picking 23rd, had their choice of several players at the spot. Gabe Perreault, Calum Ritchie, Quintin Musty, Gavin Brindlley and David Edstrom all were on the board. In addition, GM Chris Drury could have traded down. Drury opted to keep the pick and selected Perreault, the son of former NHLer Yanic, who set a Team USA Under-18 record with 132 points (53 goals, 79 assists).
As you will see below, most of the reports - save for Scott Wheeler - on Perreault is he has skating issues but uses his intelligence to make up for that deficiency. I understand the pick, though could have argued that Musty might have been a better option, same with trading down - given who was left on the board - to acquire additional picks. But if Perreault pans out to be a top-six scoring forward, the pick will be the right one, especially for a winger who was ranked much higher than where he want of several boards.
As the NY Post noted, the forward is a left shot but usually plays on the right side, where the Blueshirts have been deficient in players for some time. If he can fill a top-six, right wing spot, the pick will be a win for the Blueshirts.
Hockey News:
The ultimate complementary player, Perreault is a play connector. He and Will Smith broke Auston Matthews' NTDP U-18 season scoring record of 117 points, but it’s Perreault that sits atop the list with 132. Perreault is one of the most intelligent players in the draft class. He has some skating issues that will need a fair amount of work, but his intellect makes up for it
McKeen's:
Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Clayton Keller, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel. Just a few of the names that Perreault passed this year as he broke the single season point record as part of the U.S. NTDP U18 team. Now the single season leader after a tremendous performance at the IIHF U18’s, Perreault finds himself moving up the draft boards of many NHL teams.
In reality, Perreault has been great all year as part of that dynamic first line, consisting of him, Will Smith, and Ryan Leonard. However, subtle improvements in his game over the course of the year have helped to improve his projection and his performance at the U18’s was evidence of this. An average sized forward without elite physical tools; Perreault is not a dynamic skater. He moves well linearly and can build speed North/South. This allows him to be a factor when driving wide in transition along with his pace pushing linemates. However, a lack of high-end agility and edgework can limit his ability to evade pressure and work between the hash marks. Without question, his overall body of work as a skater will need to improve in order for him to be a top six winger at the NHL level. However, as the year progressed, Perreault underwent a transformation to become a significantly more assertive player and one who found ways to fight through contact to become less of a perimeter player. His confidence as a puck carrier and distributor improved as he showcased greater creativity and one on one skill that helped him to escape pressure in order to sustain possession or create scoring chances. This has helped many to believe, us included, that Perreault can ultimately be a strong complementary scoring line piece with the right physical development.
As you might expect, as the son of former NHL’er Yanic Perreault, Gabe has high end awareness and vision. His IQ grade is among the highest of any player eligible this year. Yes, part of his success this year is owed to the tremendous chemistry between him and his linemates. However, part of the reason why that line was so successful and was able to build said chemistry was because Perreault is just so savvy with the puck. It’s rare to see him make a poor read or pass. His game is predicated on quick touches, and he often seems to have eyes in the back of his head. He thinks one step ahead of the competition and always seems to know where his teammates are...or where they are going to be. Is he immune to turnovers? No, he can be outmuscled off the puck and adding strength will be an area of focus. However, he is the kind of intelligent winger who makes those around him better players.
Obviously, Gabe is not the first son of Yanic to pass through the draft with Gabe's older brother Jacob being selected by Anaheim in the first round of the 2020 draft. There is some concern considering that Jacob had similar projection questions over a lack of high-end physical tools and has struggled to be a consistent impact player at the pro level thus far. However, Jacob and Gabe are very different players outside of that. Jacob was and is more of a triggerman who was much more reliant on having players like Gabe on his line to get him the puck. Gabe is more of a natural playmaker, and he has proven this year that he can find his way to the net and play through the middle of the ice. Headed to Boston College with his NTDP linemates, Gabe will be given lots of time to develop physically before he turns pro. He will likely need it too. However, we feel a lot better now about his odds of becoming a quality scoring line option than we did earlier this scouting season.
Corey Pronman:
Background
Perreault is the first-line wing for the U.S. NTDP this season. He's had one of the highest point-per-game rates in the program's history this season and broke Auston Matthews' single season point record, which was shortly followed by teammate Will Smith breaking it as well. He is the brother of Anaheim 2020 first-round pick Jacob Perreault and the son of former NHL player Yanic Perreault. He is committed to Boston College.
Analysis
Perreault is an extremely skilled and intelligent winger who can make a ton of positive things happen inside the offensive zone. Perreault makes highly-creative and unique dekes and passes with the puck at a high rate, both off the perimeter and in small areas. His puck game is clear NHL power-play quality, and he will score as a pro. The issues on Perreault's game is his 5-foot-11 frame and his lack of footspeed. He shows good second effort and can win puck battles at the junior level, although whether he can do that versus men is a concern. His hockey sense is so elite though that I think he can overcome those issues and become a very good top six winger.
Scott Wheeler:
I’ve stuck my neck out on Perreault since the start of this season and I’m prepared to hold firm with my evaluation through to the end of this draft year, too. Eventually, when the points pile up like they did, and they happen making the kinds of plays that he did, you can’t ignore them. Say what you will, he’s now the NTDP’s single-season points record holder. He didn’t even pass Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes by a narrow margin when it was all said and done, either. There are many who’ve settled on Perreault as more of a mid-to-late first-rounder because of the combination of his skinny frame (though he has looked stronger all three times I bumped into him over the course of this season at the rink), the linemates he plays with, and perceived questions about his skating. He’s likely going to be the fourth player from the national program picked because his game is believed to be less projectable.
I’m less and less convinced of that. He’s a clever-beyond-belief, maneuverable 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 longtime NHLer Yanic Perreault and brother of Ducks prospect Jacob, Gabe doesn’t have his dad’s defensive acumen or his brother’s build (he’s listed at 165 pounds now), but he’s an intuitive, highly intelligent player who sees the play develop offensively at a more advanced level than his two family members did/do — and than almost anybody in the draft does. He’s got some of the quickest hands in the draft. He problem-solves his way out of trouble as well as anyone in this age group. He’s got dexterous tools catching, tipping and redirecting pucks. 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 that extra split second and then just sling a pass tape-to-tape across the grain. He became a real puck thief by year’s end, consistently tracking back hard to empty the tank and make effort plays on lifts.
And he’s a better skater than he gets credit for, with above-average speed for my money and room to add power and pick up another step as he gets stronger. Because of his genetics, he should add the necessary weight and strength eventually. I’d eagerly bet on him and with the proper patience I expect the right team will reap the rewards of a top-six playmaking winger. There might not be a player in this draft class who thinks the game offensively at his level.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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