Cole Perfetti Prospect Scouting Report
2018-19 Team: Saginaw Spirit – OHL (#91)
Date of Birth: January 1, 2002
Place of Birth: Whitby, Ontario
Ht: 5’10”/177cm Wt:185/84 lbs/kg
Position: C
Projected Draft Position: #6
Correct me if I am wrong but, there seems to be a lot of players with a high hockey IQ in the 2020 NHL Draft. You can safely add Cole Perfetti to your list with high hockey sense. Cole isn’t a big kid but, for what he lacks in size he has a motor that won’t quit. Cole Perfetti is a leader on the ice and in the dressing room. Well liked by coaches and teammates and relied upon to lead the way.
Cole Perfetti has been a difference maker at every level he has played and is proving he can produce for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. Cole set a team record for most goals in a season by a rookie with 37 last year, surpassing Jan Mursak’s record of 28. Cole also added 37 assists for a total of 74 points. Cole is still just 17 years old.
Cole worked on his skating last season to develop a better first step, that part of his skating could still use improvement, although I think he improved overall. His overall speed is very good and he uses his edges extremely well, can stop on a dime and when he does he often shifts laterally to make a perfect pass.
Excellent playmaker
Perfetti is an excellent playmaker that can create space for himself. He makes players around him better and everyone wants to be on his line. Drives his line very well. I would put him in the category of “Dynamic Playmaker”. He can slow the game down to his comfort level and anticipates very well. Has an uncanny ability to know what is going on around him. Coaches have been know to say he has eyes in the back of his head. He makes difficult in tight passes look easy.
Offensive Upside
Don’t be fooled into thinking Cole is just a playmaker, he has offensive upside as a pure goal scorer. He has a lethal shot that often fools goaltenders because he is so deceptive with his release. Cole drives the net with authority which I always like to see in a player. He isn’t a perimeter player. He often wins board battles with ease because of correct body position. Cole holds his hands high on the stick and moves his wrists well, it is evident with his excellent stickhandling ability
Like all young players Cole still needs improvement in the defensive zone but, I liked his improvement overall in the 2018-19 season. He plays so well in the neutral zone and the offensive zone. I am not saying he is a bad defensive player at all, he could stand some improvement is all. let’s put it this way, he isn’t Anton Lundell in this category.
