NHL draft prospect Jayden Perron focused on Chicago Steel
CHICAGO (BVM) – Jayden Perron will likely hear his name called in the first or second round of the 2023 NHL Draft this summer. TSN has him ranked as the 50th-best prospect in the draft and the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau has him as the 28th-best North American skater. The University of North Dakota commit is thriving and his decision to join the Chicago Steel two years ago is one that he believes played a big role in getting him to this point.
“Didn’t know what I was getting into but it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my hockey career,” Perron said of joining the Steel.
He didn’t realize what dollar beer night in Madison was going to be like but choosing the USHL over the WHL has worked well for Perron. The right winger from Winnipeg trusted one of his coaches with the Sioux Falls Power 16U AAA team, Noelle Needham, who is also the associate general manager for the Steel. She brought him to Chicago for the 2021-22 season and last year with the team, he was one of the top rookies in the USHL.
In 60 games, Perron had 17 goals, 28 assists and 45 points.
Right before his rookie season with the Steel, Perron committed to play hockey for UND. He was coming off a 60-point, 37–game season with Sioux Falls and the Fighting Hawks had seen enough. UND hockey offered him as soon as it could and Perron immediately committed.
“It was an easy decision for me,” Perron said about committing to UND right away. “Growing up in Manitoba, I feel like it’s every kid’s dream to go to UND.”
That dream will come true in the near future and even before that, his dream of reaching the NHL could happen this summer. However, Perron is staying focused on the task at hand, which is finishing the season strong with the Steel.
“Obviously it’s exciting but you try not to focus on it,” Perron said about the NHL draft. “You just treat it like it’s not there.”
It’s easy for Perron to ignore what could happen in the summer because the Steel are on the verge of another championship season. Chicago is currently atop the Eastern Conference. The Steel are also right behind the Fargo Force for the Anderson Cup, awarded to the regular season champion in the USHL.
“I think the boys are doing good,” Perron said. “We’re confident as a team and we’re rolling right now.”
It was only two years ago that the Chicago Steel won both the Anderson Cup and the USHL postseason championship, the Clark Cup. Perron is doing his part to get the Steel both trophies. He’s already surpassed his rookie stats and he’s done it in almost 20 less games than last year.
Through 44 games, he has 18 goals, 31 assists and 49 points. Perron credits the improvement to being on the Steel. He is playing with some of the best players the USHL has to offer. Along with him, Chicago has five other players in the top 10 in points for the USHL so far this season.
“It helps having a good team around you…The coaching staff and all the players, it’s tough not to get better here,” Perron said.
His teammates and coaches are also his motivation. Perron loves hockey and loves to go out on the ice working on his game, but it’s the people around him who push him to be his best.
“I think it’s everyone around me, whether it’s the coaching staff or my teammates,” Perron said. “I think just going to the rink everyday, seeing all my friends there. Obviously the coaches have been a huge part of my life now, living away from home. Going to the rink and all the people there makes it not work but fun.
That fun is leading to great things on the ice. Perron is a strong skater with vision that makes him an excellent passer. He’s efficient with the puck as well as creative. He’s been working on shooting the puck more but even that doesn’t need much improvement. NHL analysts believe that he’ll be off the draft board sooner rather than later.
Perron will be playing Division I hockey soon and will have his name called during the NHL draft this summer. The decision to go to the Chicago Steel and play in the USHL is paying dividends. It really might have been the best decision Perron has made in his hockey career.
