Jewish Goalie Perets Debuts for Carolina

It’s been quite a year for Yaniv Perets.

Last April, the delightful young man from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, was the starting goalie for the national champion Quinnipiac Bobcats. A few days after the school’s first-ever NCAA hockey championship, the Carolina Hurricanes signed Perets to a two-year entry-level contract. A couple months later, after Perets finished up his sophomore year, he and the rest of the Quinnipiac team were honored at the White House as part of “College Athlete Day.”

By December, he had been called up from the Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL to the big club in Carolina, bypassing hockey’s top minor league, the AHL; and then, on Jan. 15, one of last year’s top college hockey goalies made his NHL debut when he was called into action in relief of Antti Raanta in the third period of an eventual 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Perets’ first taste of NHL action could not have gone any better, at least personally: in 12:46 of ice time, he didn’t allow a single goal, stuffing the one shot he faced from Pierre-Luc Dubois off the rush. Apparently, Carolina has a bunch of solid backups behind starter Frederik Andersen, who’s been sidelined with scary blood-clotting issues since November, as Perets was sent back to Norfolk merely a few days after his first NHL performance. Nevertheless, it seems safe to say that the NHL hasn’t seen the last of Perets, who doesn’t turn 24 until next month and was a finalist for the Mike Richter Award, given to the nation’s best goalie, during his two years at Quinnipiac.

“My goal for me was not just to play one [NHL] game, it’s to have a career,” explained Perets when speaking to the Atlanta Jewish Times earlier this month. “Can you have one year, can you have two years, can you have three good years, four, five, six? Can you put together a nice career in the NHL? Can you help your team bring a Stanley Cup to Carolina? These are all goals the everyday process can bring if you stick to it.”

When asked to compare the two most momentous games of his career – the NCAA championship win over Minnesota last April and his first NHL assignment last month – Perets, also a two-time All-American at Quinnipiac who posted a 56-9-5 record, 1.34 goals-against average, .935 save percentage, and 21 shutouts, responded, “I’m not sure. I didn’t ever really think about it that way. It’s two separate events—both goals in my life. Winning a [college] national championship was always a dream and one of the steps along the way. Making an NHL appearance is one of the steps along the way, too. It’s hard to compare different things. It’s all so special and also surreal.”

Perets has had these goals and dreams for nearly two decades, which means his folks quickly became “hockey parents,” those hardy souls who winter after winter brave sub-zero temps and slick roads on early Saturday mornings to get their kids to the rink on time. With four other hockey-playing sons, all of whom competed at the recreational level, Yaniv’s parents faced even greater demands on their time – and expenses – than most. This wasn’t lost on Perets when he further reflected on the magnitude of his NHL call-up.

“I think it’s just big for my family,” added Perets, whose dad was in attendance at Raleigh’s PNC Arena for the big night. “Hockey’s not a cheap sport and my parents supported me ever since I was growing up. They never complained once about anything if I needed something. They always just pushed me toward my dream of one day playing in the National Hockey League. I owe them a lot for that moment.”

When discussing the White House visit, Perets articulated a similar message. Sure, Vice President Kamala Harris and NCAA President Charlie Baker were emceeing the event and there was neat behind-the-scenes access; but Perets didn’t recall feeling overly starry-eyed in the midst of such dignitaries. Rather, Perets’ greatest takeaway from the Washington, D.C. trip was spending one last day with his hockey brethren – almost as if they were high school seniors on a class trip to the nation’s capital.

I think it’s just big for my family. Hockey’s not a cheap sport and my parents supported me ever since I was growing up. They never complained once about anything if I needed something. They always just pushed me toward my dream of one day playing in the National Hockey League. I owe them a lot for that moment.

“For me, it was pretty special just to be with the guys,” said Perets, who was referring to, among others, Quinnipiac sophomore forward Sam Lipkin, who also represents the Jewish community. “It was such a close group at Quinnipiac when we won. In the summer, everyone goes their own ways, so being reunited just for like a day or two days, I think that was even more special. It was almost like a little field trip for us, walking around and going out to dinner. I have nothing but love for every single one of those guys.”

Akin to college hockey, life in the minors – and the NHL for that matter – means dealing with the constant comings and goings of teammates. Seemingly every single day, someone new is getting reassigned, demoted, promoted, or released.

And Perets has certainly been in limbo this winter, what with his one-month NHL stint sandwiched between his longer stays in Norfolk. And it was a month – from mid-December to mid-January – largely spent waiting around, wondering when, or even if, his number would get called. It’s one thing to be on an NHL roster; it’s another, to man the crease during live game action.

“For me, whatever happened, whether I’m waiting for my name to get called to go into a game or not, I think you’ve got to be thankful just to be there every single day and be able to compete with the best players in the world,” said Perets.

Perets has now competed with and against the best players in the world. But that half-period of action against the Kings represents a checkpoint, not an accomplished goal, for a lifelong NHL aspirant such as himself.

Added Perets, “You get a little taste of it and you just only want more.”