WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets' top draft pick Cole Perfetti made his NHL practice debut as the team resumed practice Thursday at Bell MTS Place.
“I got the call yesterday from Mr. Cheveldayoff and it was pretty cool, I wasn’t expecting that,” said Perfetti.
“He said that I was going to be joining the taxi squad and skating tomorrow.”
The 2020 draft pick made his professional debut just days earlier, skating with the Manitoba Moose.
The 19-year-old participated in an hour-long practice with the Jets then remained on the ice with the taxi squad.
Perfetti said he’s using the opportunity to be a sponge and learn from the players around him.
Jets Head Coach Paul Maurice said the team used this break between games to see how he played on the ice with NHL calibre players.
This is a really smart, very competitive young man, great set of hands. He’s carrying a big hockey brain there," Maurice said.
“He fit into those drills, he got them right. More important, he got the nuance of the drill, what we were trying to accomplish with each drill. He just went out and did it.”
There’s no official word as to when Perfetti will play in his first NHL game.
The Winnipeg Jets will take on the Vancouver Canucks in Winnipeg on Saturday.
