Meet Gabe Perreault, the NHL Draft prospect that broke Auston Matthews’ scoring record

Credit: (Photo by Steven Ellis/Daily Fac

BASEL, Switzerland – Auston Matthews. Jack Hughes. Cole Caufield. Only three NHLers have scored 100 points in a single season with the United States National Team Development Program, considered one of the best in junior hockey.

And Gabriel Perreault has bested them all.

With three goals and five points in USA’s 12-1 win over Norway on Saturday at the U-18 World Hockey Championship, Perreault is now the all-time leader in points in a single USNTDP season with 118. The team counts everything – games in the NCAA, USHL and tournament play – in the scoring race, and nobody has done it better than Perreault. And the Americans are just two games into the tournament. Just think about how much more damage he’ll do along the way.

After the game, Perreault said he was already focusing on USA’s next bout with Finland. But he couldn’t help but smile, knowing that he made history. He and everyone on the team were aware it was coming. And he did it in style.

“It’s pretty crazy. It’s not something I thought I was going to be able to do,” Perreault said. “You look up to those guys, so it’s a really special moment.”

Not too shabby for a Canadian-born player on the American national team.

The 17-year-old comes from incredible hockey bloodlines. His father, Yanic, spent 14 seasons in the NHL, totaling 516 points while making a name for himself as a stout faceoff star. Jacob Perreault was a first-round pick by Anaheim back in 2020. His sister, Liliane, just finished her fifth year of NCAA hockey.

Gabriel’s father and brother have represented Canada, but the youngest Perreault took the USNTDP route. It was clearly the right decision.

Perreault has 51 goals this year, becoming the sixth USNTDP player to do so. Cole Eiserman, who is also on the team this year, has 65, trailing Cole Caufield’s record of 72. As a tremendous goal-scorer himself, Eiserman appreciates the remarkable season he’s seen from No. 4.

“He’s so nifty with the puck and puts himself in the areas where he can just make a simple play, and then it’s in the back of the net,” Eiserman said. “It was awesome to see him get it tonight. That’s an unreal accomplishment.”

Of course, Perreault had some incredible help this season, thanks to Will Smith and Ryan Leonard. Smith was the playmaker, Leonard was the size, and Perreault was the goal-scoring. Combined, they made one of the most dominant lines in the history of the United States Development Program. It’s a tight group: they play a lot of NHL 23 off the ice, hang out together a lot and then you see them click every night on the ice. All three will be first-round picks this June.

“Those guys are really special players. They make my job pretty easy out there,” Perreault said. “We’re really close on off the ice as well, so it helps.”

Despite Perreault’s high-scoring prowess, most scouts have him ranked lower than his two teammates. Early on, most hoped to see him play without Leonard or Smith and see how he can handle the challenge. You don’t break scoring records by accident. There’s a high frequency of goals where he scores by standing still in close. But there’s something to be said about always being in the right spot at the right time.

And then there’s the skating. It’s been hard to judge at this tournament against Latvia and Norway, but it’s definitely the most average part of his game. He’s not the quickest, and he can’t turn as quick as someone like Smith. So when paired up with the other two, it can stand out negatively. A good coaching staff can help with that in the NHL, though. Teams might be willing to bite just because of his offensive dominance and ability to give himself open space every opportunity possible.

The positives outweigh the negatives, though.

“His hockey IQ is through the roof,” USA coach Dan Muse said. “His vision on the ice, combined with the skill and his ability to execute, there’s a reason he’s been able to have the type of season that he’s had.”

The term “hockey IQ” gets thrown around often, meaning a player does an excellent job of making the right decisions. Perreault makes everything look so simple. He’s not the flashiest player, but he’ll find open space, land the odd highlight-reel deke and, if needed, he’ll jam a goal in on the rebound. Compared to his linemates, it’s more about the offense for Perreault, and the results have paid off big time.

So now we’ll have to see how that translates to the next level.

“He didn’t put up over 120 points by accident,” a scout said. “Offensively, he’s the real deal. There’s a level of creativity there that he doesn’t get enough love for. In close, under pressure, Perreault’s game already looks NHL-ready. He’ll have no issue scoring in the NHL.”

Perreault is committed to Boston College, along with Smith, Leonard and defenseman Aram Minnetian. They’ll be a strong group that will have some excellent familiarity. But for scouts who’ve wanted to see that top line split up, next season won’t help that. Every scout I’ve chatted with thinks Perreault will be a point-per-game player in the NCAA, and likely will be NHL-bound after his sophomore year, at least.

Perreault is focused on closing out the U-18 World Championship in style. Like every year, this is the cumulation of two years together, building a special bond while participating in tournaments across the globe. But with COVID-19 affecting tournaments in recent seasons, they didn’t get to do the full contingent together like usual, and Perreault didn’t join Smith and Leonard at this tournament a year ago. This is the event they spent two years building upon. And for Perreault and Co., it’s been smooth sailing all along.

But once this tournament ends, he’ll have his sights on the NHL Draft. He’s surely going to be a first-round pick, and if he continues to lay a beating in Switzerland, maybe he’ll even land closer to the top 15. His all-around game might not be there just yet, but his scoring is.

Just ask the players he passed to break the record.

Meet Gabe Perreault, the NHL Draft prospect that broke Auston Matthews’ scoring record

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