How Jayden Perron ended up at UND
Nov. 2—BOSTON — Every team in the Western Hockey League contacted Jayden Perron, looking for an answer.
If their team selected him in the WHL Bantam Draft, would he report to them?
It wasn't an easy answer.
The WHL is the most common path of top hockey players in Western Canada, but Perron, a highly skilled forward from Winnipeg, wasn't sure that's what he wanted to do.
Perron and his mother, Doreen, started doing research. They put pins on a map to denote the location of every WHL team.
"That's how it started," Doreen said. "We started keeping track. 'Would you want to play here? There?' Jay and I did a little of our own homework and research."
As the draft approached in the spring of 2020, WHL teams wanted an answer.
"They give you a hard time, I'm not going to lie," Doreen said. "But Jay had some really good mentors. We had a lot of really good, honest conversations. He refused to commit to any WHL team. That's why he went in the second round."
Perron was interested in another path that's becoming increasingly popular with top Canadian players — college hockey.
The Perrons had attended a College Hockey Inc., seminar in Princeton, N.J., the previous summer to learn more about that path. They attended another one in Winnipeg and Doreen stayed in touch with College Hockey Inc., executive director Mike Snee any time she had questions.
"In my mind, Mike did a lot," Doreen said. "He explained, in layman's terms, a lot of things."
Jayden knew about UND.
Notable Winnipeggers like James Patrick, Jonathan Toews and Travis Zajac — all of whom played more than 1,000 NHL games — attended UND.
Many of Perron's friends had made trips to Ralph Engelstad Arena to see a game.
"I was probably the only one who lived in Winnipeg but has never seen a UND game," Perron said. "All my buddies had. They all grew up seeing games. My first time here was my first recruitment trip, probably."
Perron had been through Grand Forks many times, though, heading to the Twin Cities for hockey or soccer tournaments. Once, they even stopped to take a photo in front of a UND sign.
The Portland Winterhawks picked Perron with the first choice of the second round, but he passed on signing with Portland. Perron also passed on an offer from coach Noelle Needham to play for the Sioux Falls Power program in South Dakota. He wanted to play another year at home with his friends.
A coronavirus outbreak shut down activities in Manitoba, though.
"Jay paced downstairs for 72 hours, shooting pucks and shooting pucks," Doreen said. "Finally, he said, 'Mom, I can't do this. I've got to play hockey.' I texted Noelle that morning and said, 'Hey, do you have any space on the team for a little Canadian boy?' She texted me back within seconds and said, 'I've been holding a spot for him.' That was on a Tuesday. By Friday, the paperwork was done and he was off to Sioux Falls."
That year, his college recruiting window opened.
On Jan. 1, teams could start talking to him. On Aug. 1, he could receive offers and commit.
"There were definitely a good amount of teams (interested), Perron said. "I never went on an official visit. I knew I was coming here the whole time. That kind of made it easy for me. There was no decision-making. I knew what I wanted and went with that."
Doreen urged Jayden to go on two other visits.
"He said, 'No, don't waste money,'" Doreen recalled. "He was going to UND and UND only. He had multiple offers. He could have played anywhere. He didn't give anyone else the time of day."
UND offered on the first day possible, Aug. 1.
"You knew he was an elite player," UND coach Brad Berry said. "He plays at a fast pace, he has high-end offensive instincts, and even his play without the puck, trying to get it back, he's relentless."
Perron committed on the spot.
"Seeing a place like this growing up, how do you not coming here, living two-and-a-half hours away, if given the chance?" Perron said. "It was a pretty easy decision for me to come here."
Perron signed a tender to play 2021-22 in the United States Hockey League for the Chicago Steel, where Needham served as the assistant general manager. He starred there for two seasons, racking up 117 points in 121 regular-season games.
Perron arrived in Grand Forks this summer after being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2023 NHL Draft.
"He never swayed," Doreen said. "Even just before he started, teams were trying to sway him. There was no way. He was going to UND, through and through."
Perron isn't alone among top Canadian players spurning major juniors to play college hockey.
This weekend, UND and Perron will face Boston University and the NCAA's leading goal-scorer Macklin Celebrini, the potential No. 1 overall NHL Draft pick next summer.
Celebrini will become the fifth Canadian college hockey player to go in the top five of the NHL Draft in eight years, joining Cale Makar, Owen Power, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli. That's the same number as the previous 30 years.
Perron knows Celebrini well.
They were roommates last year, living with the same billet family while playing for the Steel. They ate breakfast every day together, drove to the rink together and even played on the same line.
"We basically did everything together," Perron said. "We were good buddies and we still keep in touch, so it will be a lot of fun this weekend."
What's Perron's scouting report on Celebrini?
"He's got it all," Perron said. "He's super fast. He can think the game. He's got an unbelievable shot. He's kind of the whole package. It will be tough to go against him. I'd rather him be on our team. But it will be good."
So, this weekend, the pair of rising Canadian stars will go head-to-head in Boston. They'll be playing for two of college hockey's traditional powerhouses — not in the WHL.
And that's just the way Perron wanted it.
"It's been unbelievable here," Perron said. "All the guys have made it that much better. It's been really good."
When: 6 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Eastern on Friday and Saturday.
Where: Agganis Arena, Boston.
Stream: ESPN Plus.
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM).
