Carolina Hurricanes Sign Yaniv Perets
The Carolina Hurricanes have added some goaltending depth, announcing that they have signed goaltender Yaniv Perets to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal, which begins next season, carries a base salary of $775K along with a signing bonus of $60K per year. GM Don Waddell released the following statement about his newest prospect:
Yaniv was a crucial part of Quinnipiac’s run to the national championship this season, and he has been an elite goaltender for his entire collegiate career. He is a proven winner, and we look forward to seeing him develop in the crease.
Perets, 23, led the Quinnipiac University Bobcats to their first NCAA men’s ice hockey championship last weekend. He was named to the NCAA East Second All-American Team and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award the past two seasons.
Born in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Québec, Perets posted a .931 save percentage and 1.49 goals-against average in a career-high 41 games with the Bobcats this season, including a .948 save percentage in the four tournament games, only allowing five goals.
The Hurricanes’ interest in Perets should have come as no surprise, given the connection between the netminder and the Brind’Amour family. For three seasons at Quinnipiac, Perets was teammates with Skyler Brind’Amour, a soon-to-be free agent and the son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Given Perets’ strong performance the past two seasons as the Bobcats’ starter, he undoubtedly received multiple offers. He gives the organization a second legitimate goalie prospect behind the 23-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov.
While an intriguing prospect, Perets’ ceiling is disputable, given his age and development path. His development path before NCAA play mirrors Buffalo Sabres star prospect Devon Levi, but Perets is over a year older and played behind a better defensive unit in Quinnipiac. Regardless, it’s a no-risk acquisition for the Hurricanes if they can make it work.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that the Hurricanes were the frontrunners to sign Perets.
Yaniv Perets Staying At Quinnipiac For 2022-23
One of the stories of the NCAA season was the goaltending at Quinnipiac, where Yaniv Perets stepped into the spotlight in a big way. The undrafted 22-year-old netminder posted a 22-5-2 record, .939 save percentage, and record-breaking 1.17 goals-against average, all in his first real action on the college stage. Perets had just two appearances in 2020-21–though he did stop all 12 shots he faced.
Some may have looked at those numbers and wondered whether the young netminder would leave the collegiate scene after such an outstanding season, but he’ll be heading back according to the Quinnipiac Chronicle. That’s great news for the program, but also for Perets, who despite his success still certainly has work to do if he’s to become a legitimate NHL prospect.
The plan for 2020-21 was to go back to the BCHL, where he had dominated the year prior, but given the COVID restrictions that ultimately canceled the season, he ended up joining the Quinnipiac program late in the year. Since they already had Keith Petruzzelli there as a Hobey Baker-candidate starter, there wasn’t much action for any other netminder. In fact, Perets’ 32 minutes of gameplay was actually second for all Quinnipiac goaltenders–Petruzzelli logged 1,716.
It wasn’t quite that lopsided this year, with Dylan St. Cyr receiving a handful of starts, but make no mistake the Quinnipiac net belongs to Perets. In fact, he put up his own Hobey Baker-level season, ending as a Top Ten finalist last month. If 2022-23 brings more of the same success, you can bet NHL teams will certainly be picking up the phone next spring. Whether he decides to turn pro at that point remains to be seen, but his name will certainly be on the minds of many watching the undrafted college free agent ranks.