Perfetti, Jets focused on growing 1 game at a time

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets are motivated to not have a repeat of last season, when a strong regular season was followed up by a quick exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

And one player in particular who has been embodying that growth mindset is the Jets’ youngest forward, Cole Perfetti.

The 22-year-old has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 37 games this season while averaging an NHL career-high 14:59 of ice time for the Jets, who are first in the NHL with a 26-10-1 record.

“I feel really good about my game,” Perfetti said. “I’m slowly getting a little more ice, a little more trust within the coaching staff and playing in more situations, so that only grows your confidence as well. It's been a great start to the year so far and I think it's only going to get better.”

Perfetti, who was selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, saw similar production last season, his third in the NHL, when he set career highs in goals (19) and points (38) in 71 games.

Despite that, Perfetti found himself a healthy scratch for a number of games down the stretch for the Jets, who finished the regular season with the fourth-best record in the NHL (52-24-6). He then played in only one playoff game against the Colorado Avalanche, who eliminated Winnipeg in five games in the Western Conference First Round.

“You're not playing your best, you’re not setting your linemates up for success, you’re not doing all that kind of stuff that's going to help,” Perfetti said. “Last year I still found myself deferring to the older guys and maybe not trying something that I would try because I wanted to make sure I could get the puck to someone else and then they could make a play.

“This year I feel like it's almost been a little bit more like, I have that confidence and I do belong here. I can make these plays. And subconsciously you just start making them and you don't even think about it, and then your game takes off to another level. I feel myself getting a little bit more confidence each game, each day, and it's slowly getting better.”

One reason for that could be the decision by Scott Arniel, who replaced Rick Bowness as coach on May 24, to move Perfetti from center to wing, which has provided him with the opportunity to play consistently alongside veterans Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov.

“I believe in linemates sticking together,” Arniel said. “But I remember at the start of the year ... that line was having a tough time getting going, but they all found their way and then they became very dangerous for us.”

Along with forwards Kyle Connor (22 goals, 27 assists) and Mark Scheifele (22 goals, 22 assists), who are each tied for fifth in the NHL in goals, the trio of Perfetti, Ehlers (11 goals, 19 assists) and Namestnikov (nine goals, 10 assists) have helped Winnipeg rank first in the NHL in goals (137) and on the power play (32.2 percent).

“Cole’s really matured as a player, you know?” Arniel said. “He’s getting quality looks on the power play (second unit), he had to step in when Ehlers was hurt and did a fantastic job with that first unit. He's just a player that's a young player still to me, that is continually getting better. And I talked about it in the summer, consistency. Consistency shift to shift, game to game, and that's what we're getting from him.”

Now, the Jets hope Perfetti’s game is just one part of a greater level of consistency for the team as a whole, especially come April.

“We obviously know how the playoffs have gone the last couple of years and the first-round exits,” Perfetti said. “... I think last year and a year before we were on fire at the start, and come playoff time we just didn't have that little bit (more). So, I think we're just trying to instill that playoff mentality, the principles and all the little things that go into being a successful playoff team. I think we're trying to instill that now from game one so that when it does come, Game 1 of the playoffs, it's not like we're trying to change our style or play a new game, it’s just the same way we've been playing all year. And when we're on, everyone can see how we play. When we’re connected as a team, we’re playing hard (and) we’re hard to play against. I mean, we’re not giving anyone any kind of space, and I think that's how you have to play in the playoffs. We're slowly preparing for that, and every game is just another step in the right direction for, come April, come playoff time.”