Kevin Wey
06-28-2004, 09:33 PM
Greetings New Jersey Devils fans:
Being that I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I figured I'd let y'all know a little bit about Nate Perkovich, your 8th round pick yesterday.
The Devils scouts did a good job on this one. Perkovich was not rated anywhere, and I wouldn't have rated him anywhere UNTIL he returned to Roughrider tryouts here earlier in June. Still a lanky kid at 6'5" 195 pounds, he's really rounded out his game offensively. His production this year was not particularly impressive, but if he skates all season like he looked at tryouts, Coach Carlson would be crazy not to play Perkovich consistently on the first or second line. (And the Roughriders have a really talented group of forwards this year.)
I have no idea when the Devils last saw Perkovich, but he looked so much better in June than when I saw him and skated with him over Christmas break. (I skate for Iowa State's ACHA DIII club team.)
I have no doubt that Nate will at least become an Albany River Rat someday, but the Devils have a nice project on their hands. (Project mostly in that Nate needs to add 30 pounds of muscle, but it isn't from a total lack of effort, he just doesn't add muscle as easily as some other players.)
To my knowledge Nate hasn't committed to any college yet, but if I was a school like Michigan Tech or Northern Michigan, or any of the smaller Michigan schools, I'd be all over trying to get Perkovich.
Also, as a qualifier, I'm not easily impressed by USHL players anymore and don't actually have any major affinity for the Roughriders even. Not that the USHL is bad, I'm just difficult to impress, and Nate and Derek Peltier were thoroughly impressive at camp. (Peltier was drafted by the Avalanche, they just picked up a defenseman who can move the puck well and also plays with aggressiveness and physicality. Not a wrecking ball, or an elite puck rusher, but a solid defenseman.) I wasn't entirely sold on Peltier until the June camp either, when he looked like the NCAA DI defenseman he's going to be next year.
So, congrats Devils on a solid 8th round project pick.
Being that I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I figured I'd let y'all know a little bit about Nate Perkovich, your 8th round pick yesterday.
The Devils scouts did a good job on this one. Perkovich was not rated anywhere, and I wouldn't have rated him anywhere UNTIL he returned to Roughrider tryouts here earlier in June. Still a lanky kid at 6'5" 195 pounds, he's really rounded out his game offensively. His production this year was not particularly impressive, but if he skates all season like he looked at tryouts, Coach Carlson would be crazy not to play Perkovich consistently on the first or second line. (And the Roughriders have a really talented group of forwards this year.)
I have no idea when the Devils last saw Perkovich, but he looked so much better in June than when I saw him and skated with him over Christmas break. (I skate for Iowa State's ACHA DIII club team.)
I have no doubt that Nate will at least become an Albany River Rat someday, but the Devils have a nice project on their hands. (Project mostly in that Nate needs to add 30 pounds of muscle, but it isn't from a total lack of effort, he just doesn't add muscle as easily as some other players.)
To my knowledge Nate hasn't committed to any college yet, but if I was a school like Michigan Tech or Northern Michigan, or any of the smaller Michigan schools, I'd be all over trying to get Perkovich.
Also, as a qualifier, I'm not easily impressed by USHL players anymore and don't actually have any major affinity for the Roughriders even. Not that the USHL is bad, I'm just difficult to impress, and Nate and Derek Peltier were thoroughly impressive at camp. (Peltier was drafted by the Avalanche, they just picked up a defenseman who can move the puck well and also plays with aggressiveness and physicality. Not a wrecking ball, or an elite puck rusher, but a solid defenseman.) I wasn't entirely sold on Peltier until the June camp either, when he looked like the NCAA DI defenseman he's going to be next year.
So, congrats Devils on a solid 8th round project pick.