Perfetti named CHL scholastic player of the year

Cole Perfetti was named recipient of the Canadian Hockey League’s scholastic player of the year award, the league announced Wednesday.

Perfetti, No. 9 in FC Hockey’s final ranking for the 2020 NHL Draft, achieved an overall academic average of 93 percent while recording 111 points (37 goals, 74 assists) in 61 games with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.

“Thank you for choosing me to be the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year award winner,” Perfetti said in a release. “It’s a big honour for me and something that I worked for all season. To be able to be a part of this trophy, and a group of all the prior recipients, it means a lot to me. There are a lot of great players to have won in the past and even better people. I want to say thank you to my family and my billets. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. They give me the support and the love that I need to excel both on and off the ice and in the classroom and without them I wouldn’t be in the spot that I am now.

“I also want to say thank you to the Spirit organization and to Pam Moretuzzo especially. Everyone in the organization is trying to make each player a better student, a better hockey player, but most importantly a better person. Pam is our high school advisor and day in, day out, she’s always taking care of me and making sure that each player is set up for greatness. I can’t thank her enough and I can’t thank the Spirit organization enough for providing me with all the resources and help I need to thrive both on and off the ice.”

Recent propsects to win the award in their NHL Draft eligible season include Connor McDavid (2014, 2015), Josh Morrissey (2013) and Dougie Hamilton (2011).