The newly acquired Canadiens forward hoping to relaunching career in his home town.
Forward Jacob Perreault made his Laval Rocket debut on Saturday after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Jan Mysak.
"It's been pretty crazy. I was in the dark and then when the trade happened, Montreal has taken such good care of me and really happy to be here. It's a first class organization," he said describing his first 48 hours since the transaction.
"I grew up here and Montreal was one of my favourite teams growing up, so it's a dream come true to get traded here," added the Montreal native.
Advice from Dad
Jacob is the son of former NHL centre Yanic Perreault. Yanic played 859 games for six organizations, including three years with the Montreal Canadiens.
"He was the first person I called and I told him that I got traded to the Montreal Canadiens and I was coming home. He was happy and he will certainly come visit soon," Perreault said about the conversation with his dad.
Yanic is currently a development coach with the Chicago Blackhawks organization, and regularly keeps in touch with his son and shares tips. "He gives me tips every year, and feedback for every game that he watches. I also him for feedback when I need it."
Finding The Right Chair
On Friday, Jean-Francois Houle noted that he intends to put Perreault in good situations and evaluate the results.
For his debut, he was slotted on a line with Mitchell Stephens and Jared Davidson. He was held off the scoresheet but did obtain a quality scoring chance from the slot during the third period that missed the net by a couple of centimeters.
"He was good," evaluated Houle. "He has got some speed, he's got some quick hands. I think he will fit right in. He just has to learn a little bit our systems and get to know the players that he's playing with. He showed some nice flashes."
Perreault travelled from the west coast to Quebec on Friday and delays on his flights caused him to arrive late in the evening. He met his new teammates on Saturday morning, a couple of hours before puck drop.
The forward earned points with his new team as he didn't hesitate to get involved in post whistle scrums against the division-leading Cleveland Monsters.
"The team is new for him. It's important to get involved and show that you won't back down and that you're there for the team," Houle said explaining the impact.
As Perreault gets settled with Laval, the coach intends to use him on the power play at some point. With Mitchell Stephens and Nathan Legare being the only other right handed forwards, Houle noted that new faceoff plays can be developed with an additional righty.
Looking Forward
Perreault, drafted 27th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2020, spent the last four seasons with their AHL affiliate in San Diego. During that time, he obtained 91 points in 161 games and dressed for one game with the Ducks on January 8th, 2022.
The forward was drafted from the previous Ducks administration and knew there was a chance that he would be moved at deadline.
"There's no one that's ever sure. We're players and it's not us that decides and no one is safe. I was doing my things, I was working as hard as I can and when I was there, I was focused on [Ducks], but as soon as I got the news that I'm with the Canadiens, the focus switched and I'm 100 percent a Canadien now," he stated.
Perreault has underachieved since he turned pro, but is now looking forward instead of harping on the past.
In his two years with the Sarnia Sting in the OHL, the 21-year old scored a total of 69 goals. The scoring rate significantly dipped since joining the AHL, to 32 goals in 161 games.
"In junior, I was scoring goals and I was shooting more, but the goalies were smaller and when you turn pro, the goalies are bigger. Even the players were all superstars in the juniors at one point. It's harder that's for sure," he said explaining the difference.
"When I was in San Diego, I was working on everything. My shooting, my passing, stick handling, defence and become physically stronger. I feel stronger physically than what I was four years ago and every year I keep trying to improve on that aspect."
In the summer, the Montreal native profits from his father's experience to improve his skills on and off the ice.
The 5-foot-11-inch forward hopes that a new beginning at home will bring a new life to his career.
Perreault has one more season remaining on his two-way NHL contract. "Make the playoffs is the first thing. Work my hardest, help the team win and make some friendships," he said listing as his objectives for the balance of the season.
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