Now in Winnipeg, Perfetti awaits his opportunity to reach his NHL dream
WINNIPEG, MB – When Cole Perfetti steps on the ice in Winnipeg in six days, he’ll be a rookie among a Jets roster full of veterans. Until then, he’s in quarantine for the third time since Nov. 23, so perhaps that makes him somewhat of a veteran.
“The days aren’t too bad. I’m able to cook my own food in here. I’ve got a nice little kitchenette, so that kills a couple hours in a day. That’s been keeping me sane,” said Perfetti on Tuesday.
“A lot of it is FaceTime, whether it’s friends or family, just keeping in touch with everyone. I have my PlayStation so I’ve been able to play video games with the guys back home.”
Perfetti, Winnipeg’s first round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, arrived in Winnipeg on Sunday after the team granted him some time to see his family after the 2021 World Junior Championship.
The visit was certainly well earned. On Nov. 16, the then 18-year-old Perfetti began Hockey Canada’s Selection Camp in Red Deer, AB. Following two positive cases, he and the rest of his Canadian teammates went into a two-week quarantine that had them isolating in hotel rooms.
Following that, he quarantined again prior to entering the World Junior bubble in Edmonton, then played seven games – scoring twice and adding four assists – as Canada took home the silver medal.
“To be part of Team Canada at the World Juniors is a dream come true and an honour. Words can’t really describe how it is to play for your country,” said Perfetti. “We put 55 days total together as a team in a hotel between Red Deer and Edmonton. Twenty of those days were quarantine days and we spent a lot of time in the summer on Zoom.”
