Early thoughts on Cole Perfetti and Quinton Byfield

Both Cole Perfetti and Quinton Byfield have been gettin’ an opportunity in their respective lineups of late, and, as two top prospects from the 2020 draft it will be interesting to see how quick they can impact an NHL lineup. 

Perfetti was selected 10th overall to the Winnipeg Jets, while Byfield was nabbed with the 2nd pick by the Los Angeles Kings.

I’ve seen a little bit more of Perfetti, but have been keeping an eye on Byfield statistically for some time. I was pretty keen to watch him this year, but an injury in training camp delayed the start of his 2nd post-draft year. The interest in Byfield doesn’t come only from his draft status, but from his draft year being his only elite statistical season to this point, when he torched the OHL for 32 goals and 82 points in 45 games. Injuries have a played a part, surely, but almost immediately after the draft, Tim Stutzle had a great rookie campaign for the Senators and already the chatter had begun. If the 2020 draft (which was held in October from covid) was held 8 months later, would Stutzle have gone second? That’s still an interesting question, but adding fuel to the fire is Lucas Raymond, who went 4th in that draft, is having an excellent rookie campaign himself with 32 points in 40 games thus far.

There is still plenty of time for Byfield to make up for lost time from his injuries, or build on his solid but not eye catching 2020-21 AHL season where he scored 20 points in 32 games. But the story of the 2020 draft is becoming rather interesting.

The Kings game against the Avalanche on Thursday was the first time I was able to watch Byfield in person, and he had a good showing centering the 3rd line and getting some PP2 time.

Early in the game, he came down his off wing, dropped his shoulder, and powered across the goal crease and tried to tuck it far side. His attempts were thwarted by the right pad of the goaltender, but if a 6’4 centerman with high skill is willing and able to do that, it’s a very good sign. There will be a day where that same play generates a goal, or at worst a rebound for a primary assist. Byfield played alongside Dustin Brown and Carl Grundstrom so, by no means the top talent on the team, but it wasn’t the fourth line either.

He was also stationed on the half wall on the power play, made a few one touch passes that stood out, and generally looked composed and willing to make a move to shield the puck. It’s been a frustrating start to Byfield’s professional career due to injury (and for me, who owns him in a keeper league), but if he can stay healthy, he’ll be a very interesting player to watch develop. 6’4 centermen with his draft pedigree don’t come along very often. Even more intriguing is, since that 2020 draft where four forwards were selected with the first four picks, its the fourth one (Lucas Raymond) who has shown more at the the NHL level than Alexis Lafreniere, Byfield, and Tim Stutzle, who were selected in that order before him. If Byfield’s recent call up is intended to be of the long term variety, then it’s officially time for him to make his case.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing him play a few more times.

Perfetti, in the mean time, has been getting prime ice time with the Jets over the last few games playing alongside Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor. That duo on its own has been excellent this season, and both play a straightforward game that’s easy to predict. The third forward just has to play simple and try to fit in. Given Perfetti’s hockey sense, it’s no surprise it’s working thus far.

Perfetti, too, also has had an interesting year and a half since draft day. Many mocks and pre-draft rankings had him at 5 or 6, but he slid down to number 10 where I’m sure Jets GM Kevin Chevyldayoff was happy to pick him. He roasted the OHL as a 17 year old, scoring 37 goals and 111 points in 61 games, which is a good season for a 19 year old, let alone a 17 year old.

But you can notice immediately that Perfetti’s skating is not a strength, and that likely was what had scouts questioning whether he was top 5, or top 15 talent. That being said, there are plenty of players who have had skating concerns on draft day who become average to above average skaters by their mid 20s.

Luckily for Jets fans and Perfetti himself, it also doesn’t take a hockey genius to notice his hockey sense, puck skills, and shot. His offensive toolkit is impressive. When he was playing on the fourth line, you could tell his linemates couldn’t read the game as fast as him. He is capable of making quick one touch plays and is always after a give and go. There were a few instances where he bought himself time and space, but wasn’t exactly with the best personnel to capitalize on his offensive instincts.

Playing with Dubois and Connor changes that, and some PP2 time doesn’t hurt either. Perfetti is still very early in his career, but it’s clear he can contribute in a top six role as the third best player on a given line. He won’t drive the play on his own.

Like many youngsters, consistency in performance has to be proven before you can slot him there for 80 games, but this kid is a definite talent and the Jets appear to have been lucky he fell to them in the 10th spot of that 2020 draft. The Minnesota Wild selected Marco Rossi one slot before him at 9th, and those two will be a fun comparison for a long time as the “uber skilled yet slightly undersized forwards” from that draft who went lower than their skill level suggests. Perfetti has excelled in the AHL as an 18 and 19 year old, scoring 41 points in 49 games over parts of two AHL seasons, and seems to be a quick study at adjusting to the pace of play at higher levels.

With both Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp being pending UFAs this off season, there just may be a more permanent spot for him to grab come training camp in September 2022.

And, with Kyle Connor, Nik Ehlers, and Blake Wheeler locked as the top-6 wingers, along with Mark Scheifele and Dubois as your top two centers, you can’t help but think Perfetti is the perfect final piece to comprise a lethal attacking group.

Both Perfetti and Byfield have a lot to learn and a lot to prove at the NHL level. But for me, the early viewings have given plenty of reason for optimism.

It will be fun to see where they’re at by game 80 of their careers.