The St. Louis Blues announced that they have signed defenceman Scott Perunovich to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal will start at the beginning of 2020-21. The team announced the news late Friday afternoon.
St. Louis Blues Ink Scott Perunovich
The Hibbing, MN native spent this season playing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. In 34 games played, he scored six goals and added 34 assists for 40 points to go along with 64 minutes in penalties. Throughout his three-year collegiate career, Perunovich scored 20 goals and added 85 assists for 105 career points in 115 career games.
The St Louis Blues are extremely glad to get Perunovich signed. Although Perunovich is undersized at 5’10”, that does not stop him from being a stud on the ice. Perunovich is a great skater, capable of cutting on a dime. He uses his acceleration to separate himself from opposing players and if others aren’t careful, he will make them pay. Perunovich is also a great playmaker. He loves to set up his teammates around the net and is a perfect modern-day powerplay quarterback.
Although mostly known for his offence, Perunovich is also an above-average defender. He is great at reading plays and intercepting passes in the defensive zone. He is quick to transition the puck and always makes the safe play.
What This Means for the Future
LWOH’s Ben Kerr described Perunovich as the Blues fourth-ranked prospect last summer. He stated, “Perunovich creates offence through poise and creativity. He has the puck handling skills to extend plays and wait for a teammate to get open. When they do, he can make tape-to-tape passes through tight areas. Perunovich has excellent vision and hockey IQ. He is a true power-play quarterback. When he has the puck in his own zone, Perunovich has a variety of weapons. He can skate the puck out of danger and start the rush himself. He can also make a long home run pass to a streaking teammate, looking for that breakaway. Perunovich can also headman the puck to a teammate and join the rush as a trailer.” The full scouting report is here.
Before the whole NHL hiatus came into play. the Blues were once again atop of their division. With the stellar play of goalie Jordan Binnington and forwards Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly, the Blues were once again a lock for the NHL playoffs. What makes it even scarier is the fact that they were without star forward Vladimir Tarasenko for most of the season.
With a bright future ahead, the Blues are glad they got one of their top prospects signed for the future, With the path that Perunovich is on right now, there is no doubt he will be a fixture on the Blues backend for years to come.
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