In the tournament opener for the United States, Gabe Perreault registered two goals and an assist in a 10-4 victory over Germany to earn himself the title of "player of the game". Saturday, the U.S. followed up their strong opening performance with a convincing win over Latvia, who themselves shocked the hockey world the previous night by defeating Canada in a shootout 3-2.
One of the things about Perreault that has Rangers fans excited, is his ability to play big minutes in big roles for his teams. The 19-year-old features on the top line and power play for both Boston College and the U20 U.S. national team. Rangers fans are no strangers to promising young forwards out of Boston College who excel on the power play, and Perreault has been putting his ability on full display so far in the 2025 World Junior Championship.
In their matchup with Latvia, Perreault registered his lone point on the power play- to no one's surprise. About five minutes into the second period, the United States found themselves on the power play with a 1-0 lead. Perreault was sent out onto the ice with his Boston College teammates James Hagens and Ryan Leonard, and the trio came through in a big way.
Ryan Leonard strikes on the power-play to make it 2-0 USA!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/A9h9Y2klJb
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 28, 2024
Perreault's ability to facilitate the goal scoring of his teammates is one of the most attractive aspects of the young forward's game. Being able to find teammates in open space, especially on the power play, is a highly sought after skill amongst NHL scouts and it seems the Rangers have found a young player with an aptitude for such a skill.
There is, of course, a lot of scaling that needs to be done when a young player attempts to transition their game from the collegiate or juniors level to that of the NHL. Perreault may not be NHL ready today, but he is well on the path that many successful NHL players have forged ahead of him both in the NCAA, and through performances at the World Junior Championship.
Wrapping up December 28th, Perreault finds himself with four points (two goals, two assists) at the World Junior Championship and a plus/minus rating of plus five. With more group stage and (most likely) medal round matchups left to play, Perreault has ample time to demonstrate his talent as an offensive threat all over the ice.