Prospect Info: Cole Perfetti, 10th Overall Pick

[WPGChief]

Kyle Wellwood was freaking awesome. Him with Kane are some of my fondest memories of the early Jets 2.0 - they always rocked a near 60% CF% (and I think by today's xGF% it's close to that too). It's too bad injuries and a lack of passion for the game cut his career short. I hope Perfetti's output ends up as good or better.

Anyways, back to Perfetti but slightly off-topic and I'm not sure if this breaks any rules or not - on my Twitter I've been posting around that Perfetti (with Saginaw Spirit Foundation) had a non-profit organization called "Fett's Friends" for charity, and an online donation has recently become available. I've been challenging people to donate $10 for pick #10, so I wanted to share the message here as well.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

There's been infections in hockey teams in Finland, it's not usually been "everyone" that's infected, but 5-10 players or so usually I think, but sometimes more, depends how early it gets caught. I don't think hitting/no hitting would make much difference. Note that in Finland the covid situation has been better than most places, though it's getting worse atm.

Finland - cases/mil pop = 3136 - deaths/mil pop = 65
Canada - cases/mil pop = 6820 - deaths/mil pop = 277
USA - cases/mil pop = 30,485 - deaths/mil pop = 732

So Finland rates ~1/10th of USA rates.

Right now, it is getting worse almost everywhere.

Playing hockey has to carry an extremely high risk of infection - with or without body checking. It might make a significant difference if you could somehow play hockey without body contact. But that is another story entirely and would be completely impossible anyway.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

More people testing positive, less people getting sick means the immune system is doing it's job. Lets get back to playing hockey. Looking forward to seeing Perfetti with the big boys to see what he can do. Always fun to play with new toys.

There aren't "less people getting sick". Fewer people are getting quite as severely ill as in the spring. That is because more of the sick people are much younger and therefore having milder symptoms. But hospitalizations and admissions to ICU's are increasing dramatically. So are deaths, though again, not as bad as the first wave in the spring. But those infected young people are gradually spreading the disease to more older and more vulnerable people. The death rate will catch up to the infection rate. Meanwhile, don't ignore the fact that many of the young people are suffering very severe illness for extended periods and many of them also die, just a lot fewer than among the older population. But a lot fewer doesn't mean none.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The Kyle Wellwood who never paced for less than 30 points a year and peaked at a 70+ point pace was a below average 4C?

We’re not talking about identical players here. Wellwood only had NHL success because of his hockey IQ. He had no physical gifts and had poor fitness. You put Wellwoods IQ with Ehlers physical gifts and that player is a first ballot hall of famer IMO

Not to disagree with your point, but Ehlers already has a high HIQ. Maybe not as high as some of these other players, but high. Now give Welly's HIQ to Kyle Connor and you might see a huge difference. BUT KFC's HIQ is not bad either. Try again, how about Jack Roslovic? Yeah, lets give it to him.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Fair enough. It certainly seems to be a "multiplier" in terms of other strengths/assets

Contrast that with a guy like E Kane that never seemed to read the fame very well. Always got by on physical tools.

This article by Patrick O'sullivan is heartbreaking, and isn't about hockey IQ but he touches on it


Black & Blue | By Patrick O'Sullivan

"Once you get to the pro level and you witness how fast the game moves, you finally realize that no amount of running or weight lifting or private lessons is going to change one simple question: Do you understand hockey? Do you really understand the game? Do you know where that puck is going next?"

I feel like that story needs more comment - but I don't know what to say.

I hope everyone here takes the few minutes to read it.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Jesus that is an absolutely heart wrenching read.

The dad deserves hard time in prison and his mom is no f***ing better. You let that shit happen to your 6 year old child and you do nothing?

In her defense, you can bet she was getting a lot of the same. Not that that really excuses her, but it is complicated.

 

[Buffdog]

I feel like that story needs more comment - but I don't know what to say.

I hope everyone here takes the few minutes to read it.

Having watched the crazy hockey parents around my three kids playing, I wonder how much of this was going on behind the scenes. Hopefully not to this level, but on some level.

For sure there was mental/emotional abuse and manipulation.

 

[LowLefty]

Not to disagree with your point, but Ehlers already has a high HIQ. Maybe not as high as some of these other players, but high. Now give Welly's HIQ to Kyle Connor and you might see a huge difference. BUT KFC's HIQ is not bad either. Try again, how about Jack Roslovic? Yeah, lets give it to him.

I love Nic's game but I would not list hockey IQ as one of his better assets - or even a moderate asset.
IMO, he's still trying to figure out his game at the NHL level - once he does, with his physical assets, he will be a machine.
When I guy can gain the zone as easily as this guy can and once he figures out what to do with the puck once he gets there, he will be generating a ton of offense.

 

[ps241]

In her defense, you can bet she was getting a lot of the same. Not that that really excuses her, but it is complicated.

yea 100% on her taking a beating and that totally sucks. However when your 6 year old kid is getting shit kicked daily you have to go to plan B

 

[DRC]

I'm curious to see his gains after an extended offseason. I recently heard Alex Tuch interviewed on spittin chiclets where he worked with Francois Methot out of Toronto. He credits his speed to working with him and power edge pro. Completely changed his stride in 4 months. I think he did the training the offseason he went to Vegas from Minnisota (20yrs old) and wasn't a burner till then. I'm just going to assume Perfetti is working his bag off and becoming besties with Schief hockey nerding...
Great interview. Power edge pro starts around 18:30

 

[Adam da bomb]

So weird Schief is really smart and a hockey nerd but terrible in our end. I wonder why?

 

[ps241]

I'm curious to see his gains after an extended offseason. I recently heard Alex Tuch interviewed on spittin chiclets where he worked with Francois Methot out of Toronto. He credits his speed to working with him and power edge pro. Completely changed his stride in 4 months. I think he did the training the offseason he went to Vegas from Minnisota (20yrs old) and wasn't a burner till then. I'm just going to assume Perfetti is working his bag off and becoming besties with Schief hockey nerding...
Great interview. Power edge pro starts around 18:30

ok that is great find and somewhat reinforces a point told to me from a friend connected to some of the top skating coaches. “As long as there is buy in they can improve anyone’s skating”.

Yea I dig the time frame too when Tuch said he was into it for 4 months. Think of Perfetti he has been off for almost 8 months. Fingers crossed Cole has a good skating coach and is fully buying in.

 

[DRC]

ok that is great find and somewhat reinforces a point told to me from a friend connected to some of the top skating coaches. “As long as there is buy in they can improve anyone’s skating”.

Yea I dig the time frame too when Tuch said he was into it for 4 months. Think of Perfetti he has been off for almost 8 months. Fingers crossed Cole has a good skating coach and is fully buying in.

I thought you'd like that. Just shows even later on you can change your mechanics like a golf swing
Edit** in that four months he was practicing it twice a week. Not like it was all day everyday

 

[ps241]

I thought you'd like that. Just shows even later on you can change your mechanics like a golf swing
Edit** in that four months he was practicing it twice a week. Not like it was all day everyday

As I recall in a Perfetti interview I think he mentioned twice a week was the time he dedicated to his skating coach too.

 

[Finnflash]

I stopped doing this stuff a few months ago, but here are some full game videos from last season

vs Erie | Mar 8 2020
vs London | Jan 11 2020
vs Ottawa | Nov 14 2019
vs Sault Ste Marie | Sep 28 2019 https://youtu.be/VNM2Txthqnw

Hey kill em

do you know if there are any more full game videos of him online?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Having watched the crazy hockey parents around my three kids playing, I wonder how much of this was going on behind the scenes. Hopefully not to this level, but on some level.

For sure there was mental/emotional abuse and manipulation.

I have seen a few signs and hints of this sort of thing. Never anything overt enough to justify intervening in any way. But I suspect there was much worse going on out of sight.

I have enough personal experience with abuse to understand the problems pretty well. Nothing nearly as bad as this though.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I love Nic's game but I would not list hockey IQ as one of his better assets - or even a moderate asset.
IMO, he's still trying to figure out his game at the NHL level - once he does, with his physical assets, he will be a machine.
When I guy can gain the zone as easily as this guy can and once he figures out what to do with the puck once he gets there, he will be generating a ton of offense.

I agree Ehlers has room to improve there. I don't expect much more at his age. I wouldn't single him out for lacking HIQ either. That is partly what enables things like his zone entries, among other things. It is a combination of his skating speed and that ability to anticipate what the D will do.

He can still learn with more experience and I think he has shown a good ability to do that. But I think HIQ is something deeper in the brain than the kind of lessons he is learning now. It becomes closer to instinct and is built of things learned at a much younger age.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

yea 100% on her taking a beating and that totally sucks. However when your 6 year old kid is getting shit kicked daily you have to go to plan B

Yes of course, in a better world. But a mother who has already had all of the fight beaten out of her doesn't do that. It often just doesn't work that way. That mother is dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions herself.