Perets' connections, talent led to contract with Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Yaniv Perets put together a pristine resume at Quinnipiac University last season in front of what turned out to be a well-connected and captive audience.

In April, the 23-year-old goalie helped Quinnipiac win the NCAA national championship with a 3-2 victory against the University of Minnesota. It capped a terrific season for the sophomore, who went 34-4-3 with a 1.49 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and 10 shutouts; he led the nation in GAA and shutouts.

When it came time for Perets to pursue an NHL contract, the Carolina Hurricanes were uniquely positioned to make a pitch. Perets' college roommate was senior forward Skyler Brind'Amour, the son of Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour.

"I basically watched two years of him play and I didn't see a bad goal go in," the Carolina coach said. "There's something to be said for bringing in guys that have won. They know what it takes. That's a special attribute as well."

Perets wound up signing a two-year, entry-level contract with Carolina on April 11. Though he recognizes his connections may have heightened the Hurricanes' awareness, he knows it won't make much difference in the future.

"I'm sure it helped. [Rod Brind'Amour] was able to watch me a lot more," Perets said. "But it doesn't matter where you go, you're going to have to stop the puck and compete hard, or you're going to be out the door pretty quick."

Raised in the Montreal suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Perets didn't have to look far for a goaltending role model.

"Growing up, I always loved Carey Price, being from Montreal," he said. "Nowadays, I love all goalies. I have so much respect for all the goalies that play at this level. I feel like there's so much you can learn from each goalie and their experiences, how they play, how they see the game."

The Hurricanes like the fact that Perets is older than typical draft-eligible goalies.

"The one thing college affords guys is the opportunity to develop," Carolina goaltending development coach Jason Muzzatti said. "You never know when it comes together. He's very detailed with his tracking, his focus is good, he's very smart positionally. For me, it's the competitor in him, it's the gamer. It's not easy to win those (collegiate) games. It's high pressure. That's a great box to check."

Brind'Amour also values the goalie's track record at Quinnipiac; Perets' 34 wins last season were the most by a goalie in school history, and he finished his collegiate career 56-9-5 with a 1.34 GAA, .935 save percentage and 21 shutouts.

The Hurricanes coach is often reluctant to assess goalie prospects, but he doesn't hesitate to weigh in on Perets.

"At some point, you've got to trust what you see," Brind'Amour said. "There's something there. I did meet him once because I went up to watch Skyler one time, and I saw where they lived. [Perets] was there and I said hi, and that was it. But [Skyler] is like, 'Dad, he's great.' He fits everything we're about."

Carolina will enter this season employing goalies Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta for the third straight time. The Hurricanes also have 24-year-old prospect Pyotr Kochetkov, who has impressed in 27 NHL regular-season games over the past two seasons, along with five appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Perets is more concerned about developing his own game than assessing his competition.

"I've always had confidence in myself, no matter where I'm at," Perets said. "I know it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. I think the most important thing is competing as hard as you can every single day and always believing in yourself. There's tons of great goalies out there, so you just have to worry about yourself."