WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets have signed Cole Perfetti, the team’s top pick at the 2020 NHL draft.
The Jets announced Monday that Perfetti has inked a three-year entry-level deal with an average annual value of US$1.66 million.
The 18-year-old centre from Whitby, Ont., was taken 10th overall in October’s draft, and said at the time that he will have a chip on his shoulder because he was passed up by nine teams.
Perfetti, five-foot-10 and 177 pounds, was ranked fifth among North American skaters in the NHL’s final prospect rankings.
He spent last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit, tallying 111 points (37 goals and 74 assists) in 61 games.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has said that he likes how Perfetti is humble, level-headed and a student of the game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2020.