The New Jersey Devils have a lot of good options for their 2020 NHL Draft picks and Cole Perfetti could be one of those studs that they land.
The New Jersey Devils desperately need to hit on a few players in the 2020 NHL Draft. If things don’t go their way, they will have their one pick in the top ten again, but they could end up with as many as three 1st-round picks if things do go their way. They would be wise to do their homework on every prospect available to them in this draft. One of those players that is an option to them is Cole Perfetti.
Perfetti currently plays for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. He is a left-handed centerman that is currently 18 years old. He has played two full seasons for the Saginaw Spirit and has been an impressive player both in seasons. His rookie year in the OHL saw him put up good numbers for a 16/17-year-old as he had 37 goals and 37 assists for 74 points in 63 games.
Then he really stepped up this past season as he had 111 points in 61 games. That total was the second-highest total in the entire OHL in only his second year, so there are definitely reasons to be excited about his play. He is probably going to go back and play there next season, and he should dominate even more. The only way he won’t play for the Spirit again next season is if he dominates NHL training camp.
Perfetti relies on his skills to get the job done. He isn’t the game-breaking skater that a lot of the game’s best players are, but he uses his high hockey IQ and his compete level to get the job done at a high level. He also has a blistering shot to complement his playmaking abilities. This might be the exact kind of player the Devils need to put in place with their current players.
Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes can both move well and find shooters in high danger areas. They are also both capable of shooting and scoring too so a good playmaker would be good for them as well. That is why a guy like Perfetti would be perfect for them because he can create offense by moving the puck and shooting as he has shown he can with the Spirit.
Perfetti is all over the place as far as most mock drafts but he is somewhere in the pick four to ten range on most people’s boards. That means that he should be available to the New Jersey Devils. They probably won’t select him if they win one of the three lottery spots but you can’t count on that at this point. If he is deemed as the best player available on the board, the Devils should look to bring him in.