BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Only four players have ever broken the 100-point mark in a single season for the U.S. National Team Development Program.
The first three were Auston Matthews, Cole Caufield and Jack Hughes.
The latest was Gabe Perreault, a forward prospect expected to be selected in the mid-first round of the draft on June 28 in Nashville, Tenn.
Perreault didn't just clear the 100-point mark, he broke the single-season scoring record. His 132 points (53 goals, 79 assists) in 63 games were the most scored in one season in program history. The previous record was 117 points (55 goals, 62 assists) in 60 games, set by Matthews in the 2014-15 season.
The USNTDP plays a schedule against a variety of opponents, including teams in the USHL and NCAA teams. The record also includes games played at the U18 World Junior Championship. Perreault lit up the USHL schedule with 19 goals and 26 assists in 23 regular-season games. His 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in seven games were the second-most on Team USA at the U18 World Junior Championship, just shy of projected top-5 pick in this year's draft Will Smith.
There's a decent chance that Perreault is still available when the Penguins are on the clock with pick No. 14 in the draft later this month, and Perreault caught the Penguins' eye this season. He was one of only a few prospects at last week's scouting combine that got not only an interview, but an invitation out to dinner with the Penguins' scouting staff.
"I'm a competitive and creative offensive-minded winger," Perreault told me of his game last week. "I like to create chances for myself and my teammates. I'm probably more of a playmaker, my best asset is my hockey IQ."
The EliteProspects scouting report on Perreault in this year's draft guide also describes Perreault as "deceptive, adaptable, pacey," with "great hands" and vision.
Perreault, who is a left-handed shot, says he likes to watch other competitive and skilled wingers like Trevor Zegras and Patrick Kane.
There's not much to knock in Perreault's offensive game. What has him projected to go in the mid-first round as opposed to higher in the draft is his defensive game and overall speed. And at 5 foot 11 and 165 pounds, he needs to get stronger, too. Given that he just turned 18 last month, his weight isn't much of a real concern. Plenty of players in his position need to put on some size before they turn pro. The weight he does have, though, is a lot of muscle. He had the fifth-lowest body fat of the 100-plus prospects who participated in the combine at 7.31%.
"My overall strength, I want to keep getting stronger," Perreault said when I asked about his focuses. "My separation speed is also something I try to work on."
Perreault said that his strength and skating were things that a lot of teams asked about in his combine interviews. Another big thing teams talked about was if he's going to be able to keep producing offensively at the next level -- he's committed to Boston College.
Perreault comes with some NHL pedigree, which is something that's always attractive to scouts. Perreault's father Yanic played 14 seasons as a center in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, Kings, Canadiens, Predators, Coyotes and Blackhawks from 1993-2008. Yanic, who coached Gabe for six or seven years when Gabe was growing up in Chicago, has served as a development coach in the Blackhawks' organization since 2013.
"He was always pretty skilled and a really smart player," Perreault said of his father. "That was something he always wanted me to have and helped me learn a lot."
Yanic was the league's best centerman in faceoffs when he played. He led the league in faceoffs every season between 1999 and his retirement in 2008, averaging between 61.3% and 65.2% during those years. Gabe is a winger, but he says he works on faceoffs "quite a bit" with his father so he can take offensive zone draws on the power play.
The Penguins' prospect system is pretty devoid of future top-six talent up front. There are definitely options in the draft that are perhaps more pro-ready or well-rounded than Perreault. But if the Penguins want to swing for the fences and use pick No. 14 on someone with the potential to have the highest reward, Perreault might be the guy to take at that time.
This is the fifth story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential first-round picks for the Penguins.
