The Winnipeg Jets have signed their top draft choice, inking Cole Perfetti to a three-year entry-level contract. Selected tenth overall in last month’s draft, the release indicates Perfetti will carry an average annual value of $1,658,333, though that includes the potential performance bonuses that have been included in his entry-level deal. CapFriendly provides the full breakdown, reporting that the contract includes up to $500K in performance bonuses in year one and up to $850K in each of the other two years.
Perfetti should be one of the first few players to make an impact out of this year’s draft class. After a rookie season in the OHL that saw him score 37 goals and 74 points, leading all first-year players in both categories, he returned to the Saginaw Spirit in 2019-20 with even higher expectations. He followed through, scoring 111 points in 61 games to finish second in league scoring and took home the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year award for his combination of athletic and academic achievements.
There’s not much that Perfetti struggles with at the offensive end of the rink. An elite playmaker, he can easily weave through traffic to set up his teammates, but also possesses one of the most lethal scoring touches in the CHL. Given that he will turn 19 on January 1, he’s quite a bit older than many of his draft contemporaries and should quickly work his way up the Winnipeg depth chart.
Teams will have to carefully decide what is best for top end OHL prospects, given the debate over body checking that is still ongoing in Ontario, and Perfetti is no different. For now, he’ll be attending Hockey Canada’s World Junior selection camp which starts in just a few days. The month-long camp gives players a chance to compete with and against some of the best from their country and Perfetti should have a good chance of making the final squad.