Alpharetta, Georgia, is the birthplace of Wings' prospect and current Maine Black Bears center Chase Pearson.
Pearson's father, Scott, was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and appeared in 292 NHL games over 10 seasons.
When he retired, Scott settled in Georgia, where Chase grew up.
Much like his father, who had 615 career penalty minutes during his NHL career, Chase Pearson is a rugged player at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, who has gotten better at keeping his emotions in check.
As a sophomore last season at Maine, Pearson was the Black Bears co-captain where he made significant strides in improving his overall game from his freshman year.
A smart player with leadership qualities, Pearson has shown a willingness to work on continually refining his game.
Last season, Pearson received Honorable Mention for Hockey East's All-Star Team and was among the initial nominees for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey.
37 - Total number of games Pearson played for Maine his sophomore season.
7- Number of goals Pearson scored, which was seven fewer than the 14 he scored as a freshman.
20- Pearson's assist total, which ranked second on the Black Bears and was 12 more than he had in his freshman season.
27- His 27 total points was five more than he accumulated as a freshman and was second best on his team.
42- Known as a player with an aggressive streak, Pearson was assessed 42 penalty minutes as a sophomore, down from the 56 he received as a freshman.
.549- His face-off percentage. Pearson won 486 of the 885 total draws he took last season. His face-off percentage ranked ninth best in Hockey East.
140- Detroit drafted Pearson in the fifth round, 140th overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Quotable:"First off with Chase, you have to take into consideration he was co-captain as a sophomore and that's not easily done at the college level. The fact that he assumed that level of formal leadership on the team as only a sophomore speaks volumes about his character. He is committed to be the best he can be. As far as his goal production is concerned, he was a little snakebitten at the start and in the first half of the season. He started to score goals in the second half, but over the course of the season, if you don't score a lot over the first 16 to 17 games, you don't have a lot of time to get your numbers back. It wasn't anything in his game, it's just the way the game of hockey can be sometimes. His overall offensive production was improved, his face-off percentage improved, his defensive efficacy improved. Clearly, he is a prospect for the National Hockey League." - Dennis "Red" Gendron, University of Maine head coach
