Laval – Jacob Perreault must face the facts. It may only be a matter of days, but his turn has not yet come.
“Laval, they are hot Right now. »
Recalled last week from the Trois-Rivières Lions in the ECHL, where he started his season to get back into shape, the forward has still not played a game with the Laval Rocket, who is currently having the best start to the campaign of his young existence (9-2-0).
Despite boarding the bus leading the team to Belleville for a doubleheader last weekend, the Anaheim Ducks’ 2020 first-round pick was slotted into the 13th forward role. A function that still seemed to be reserved for him Monday at training, the day before the team left for Rochester.
Perreault then obtained some reps within the fourth trio currently made up of Vincent Arseneau, Florian Xhekaj and Luke Tuch. Asked whether Perreault could be invited to wear the Rocket’s colors in one of the three games scheduled this week, head coach Pascal Vincent did not rule out this scenario.
“Maybe, we’ll see,” he first replied before delving deeper into his thoughts.
“We want to put him in a winning position, both for him and for the rest of us. Physically, he missed a lot of hockey. We want to get him back into peak physical condition, or as close to it as possible, before putting him in a match. We will be patient, but it is not impossible. »
Perreault, who was acquired last year from the Ducks in exchange for prospect Jan Mysak, has indeed come a long way. Having shoulder surgery in April, the Quebecer has only just completed a long rehabilitation which spanned six months.
“Usually, I skate five to six times a week during the summer, which wasn’t possible this time. But it still helped me. […] When you turn pro, it’s like you’re training all the time. It never stops. Even during the summer, you’re always doing your workouts for the coming year. It felt good to relax a bit. I feel like my body has been two years younger. »
After spending the entirety of the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp and most of the Rocket’s in the gym, Perreault was traded to the Lions on October 23.
“At first I was a little surprised, but not too much considering it had been a long time since I last played. I still found that nicebecause I didn’t really know what the East Coast was. »
“There is not a big difference between the two leagues,” Perreault quickly noted. It is certain that the top players in [la LAH] are better than the guys in the other league, but it’s still close. It’s tough to play in that league and I think I performed well. »
Over the course of this five-game stay in Trois-Rivières, Perreault posted an average production of one point per game, collecting four assists and notably scoring a goal reminding everyone why he was the 27th choice in the total from the 2020 NHL amateur auction.
Daniel Jacob, the ally
Now back in the American League, where he was recalled to compensate for the loss of Jared Davidson to injury, Perreault returns to a somewhat familiar environment that will allow him to showcase this talent again, he hopes.
In Pascal Vincent, Perreault must certainly acclimatize to a sixth head coach already since he made his debut in the AHL in 2020 at the age of 18 (OHL activities were paralyzed by COVID- 19, Editor’s note), but he is no stranger to the methods and philosophy of the new teacher.
In 2021-2022, his second professional season, Perreault played under Joël Bouchard with the San Diego Gulls. Not only was Bouchard already Vincent’s partner behind the bench of the defunct Montreal Junior in the QMJHL, but he was also supported in California by Daniel Jacob, who returned this year to Laval as an assistant coach.
It was under the direction of Bouchard and Jacob, as well as Maxime Talbot, that Perreault offered his best performance to date in the AHL, amassing 37 points in 55 games.
“Joël was one of my coachs favorites. I haven’t played yet this year, but Pascal has the same style as Joël, and he’s with Dan. It’s a similar environment. I can’t wait to see what happens, but just seeing the gamesTHE boys seem to really like having him as coach and to have fun on the ice”, observes the one who found in Jacob a precious ally for the future.
“He knows what I can do. »
Whether Perreault will get a first opportunity to demonstrate it tomorrow night against the Americans remains to be seen. Otherwise, there is always the duel on Friday against the Syracuse Crunch, or the one the next day again against the Americans. His turn will eventually come. Until then, he promises to be patient.
“I’m still young, I’m 22 years old. I still have a lot of hockey ahead of me. »
