| NAME: |
Corey Perry |
| NHL/AHL: |
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim / Portland Pirates |
| POSITION: |
Right Wing |
| HT: |
6-2 |
| WT: |
202 |
| BIRTHDATE: |
May 16 1985 |
| BIRTHPLACE: |
Peterborough, ONT |
| AMATEUR CLUB : |
London Knights - OHL (Junior) |
| DRAFTED |
2003 NHL Draft, 1st round, 28th OA |
| SHOOTS |
Right |
It might have been just one seven week stretch out of a strenuous seven month AHL season, but what budding Anaheim superstar Corey Perry did within it set the league on its ear.
It might have even changed the Portland Pirate franchise for years to come.
Sent down to Portland by Anaheim on Nov. 21 along with fellow rookie phenom Ryan Getzlaf with whom he is seemingly joined at the hip, Perry, playing on a line with Getzlaf and jumbo-sized winger Dustin Penner made a shambles of the opposition, while helping establish the Pirates as a prime Calder Cup contender.
"That's a pretty potent (pair)," said Providence Bruins coach Scott Gordon following one clash with the Pirates. "Anaheim can send (Perry) down and he gets two points a game. We've got to go to the East Coast league to try to get point a game guys."
Who wouldn't be salivating over Perry, who would be the hockey equivalent of a "five-tool" player -- size, speed, shot, touch around the net, and toughness.
The 20-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario capped a brilliant junior career by winning last year's Ontario league scoring title, before leading the London Knights to a surprising Memorial Cup victory over Sidney Crosby's Rimouski Oceanic.
Then after getting his feet wet in the NHL with Anaheim at the beginning of this season, Perry was shipped out with Getzlaf, who was tabbed by the Ducks nine spots ahead of him in what has proved to be a wildly successful 2003 draft.
It wasn't that he was playing poorly: He just needed to play more.
To Perry's credit, he took the pass to Portland as a challenge, not chastisement.
"It was tough coming down," he said. "Especially when you make the (big) team when you're 20 years old. Those are the bumps you have to ride with. You take it and roll with it, and you work harder than you did in the NHL, just to try to get back up there and stay up there."
He hit the ground charging, finishing off just about everything Getzlaf could dish him, and piling up 34 points (16 g, 18 a) in a remarkable 19 game run.
He notched points in all but one game as a Pirate. Perhaps the most memorable point came at the expense of Manchester Monarch goalie Yutaka Fukifuji.
It was Perry’s laser-like feed from behind the net that set up Tim Brent's game-winner with no time left showing on the clock to hand the Monarchs a discouraging loss.
It wasn't long before Perry had proven all that he could prove. To the rest of the AHL, to himself, and to Brian Burke, who took over the general manager's job this year, and on Jan. 8, Burke told Perry to take the first West Coast-bound flight out of Portland. In balloting conducted by MLN of the AHL clubs, more than 85% responding named him the top player in the minors.
"To (his) credit," said Burke, "he went down there and put his work boots on, and did the job. He's a talented and smart player. I think he's going to be a good NHL player."
For his part, Perry intends to keep Portland in the rear-view mirror. Not that he didn't enjoy being the top player that the AHL has seen all year, but to him, his short stay in the Triple-A was long enough for him to buff up his game to a big league luster.
Certainly he and Getzlaf helped breathe new life into the Pirates, who last year seemed headed out of town. Now, in their first year of marriage with the Ducks, the Cumberland County Civic Center is jumping again, just like the good old days, even though Portland has likely seen the last of Perry.
"I went down and worked as hard as I can," he said. "Obviously it was a learning experience. (But) I want to stay up here for the rest of my career. I don't want to play another game down there. If I can just keep working as hard as I can, keep working on my strength and my game, hopefully I can stay here."
- Dan Hickling
