All Eyes on Perreault for the Upcoming 2020 NHL Draft
After an unusually long period of uncertainty and anticipation, the 2020 NHL Entry Draft is just a few short days away. Although this is an exciting and nerve-racking time for many hockey players around the world, one player who must be feeling the nerves now is Sarnia Sting forward Jacob Perreault.
As many Sting fans know, Perreault is one of the best offensive wingers in the 2020 draft class. After netting 39 goals (tied with Marco Rossi for 10th in the OHL) in just 57 games for the Sting, Perreault was able to catch the attention of many high-profile scouts in the hockey world.
Jacob Perreault ????
a FANTASTIC move 1-on-1 to beat the D and send a pass across to McGregor for the goal! #OHL #2020NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/OsLue87jZz
— Caitlin Berry (@caitlinsports) January 4, 2020
Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet describes him as a “deceptive skater who is smart enough to know when to turn it on. Another player whose goal-scoring pops”.
Mike Morreale of NHL.com is also very high on him, saying, “He possesses an impressive offensive skill set with good vision and ability to make plays off the rush or with accurate passes in the offensive zone”.
One thing that truly cannot be ignored about Perreault’s offensive game is his incredible shot. Once he crosses the blue line, Perreault’s ability to let his shot go in a variety of situations makes him one of the most difficult players to defend in the league.
Jacob Perreault got a nastyy wrister. Haven’t watch him nearly enough this year.
* and he’s much faster than his dad was???? pic.twitter.com/zAWcxwSrH5
— Yannick St-Pierre (@DraftDynasty1) February 18, 2020
Along with the numerous scouts that love his game, Perreault is spoken highly of by his teammates as well. His passion and work ethic make others want to work just as hard as him both on and off the ice.
“He is the type of player that practices with a lot of intensity and cares about his overall performance in each game”, teammate Sam Bitten expressed. “I have no doubt Jacob will put in the work to become a top two-way forward in the NHL, he’s got all the potential in the world.”
As many people who are familiar with the scouting industry are aware, scouts aren’t just looking for how good a player is right now. Instead, they are mostly focused on projecting how each player is going to translate into the NHL and what kind of improvements need to be made to reach their full potential. In Perreault’s case, scouts are confident that he will be able to use his work ethic to maximize his already strong upside and round out his game effectively.
“I think Jacob Perreault’s upside is insane”, exclaims Tony Ferrari of Dobber Prospects. “Five years from now, we could be saying Jacob Perreault is a top 7 player from this draft class”.
Oh my GOODNESS Jacob Perreault! ????
Goes coast-to-coast, does it all and finishes backhand for his second goal of the game.@StingHockey #OHL #2020NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/EHHYF8s0Wq
— Caitlin Berry (@caitlinsports) December 21, 2019
Perreault is currently ranked 17th amongst North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s rankings. With that in mind, Sting fans should be hoping to hear his name called somewhere in the mid to late first round.
Regardless of which NHL club calls Perreault’s name on Tuesday night, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that they’re getting one heck of a talent.
