A day in the life of Saginaw Spirit’s Cole Perfetti

saginaw-spirit-cole-perfetti

Cole Perfetti of the Saginaw Spirit. (Luke Durda/OHL Images)

First off, it’s necessary to give a big THANKS to Cole Perfetti and the entire Saginaw Spirit organization.

Sometime ago, we set out to shoot a TV feature about Cole in this, his draft year. Such an endeavour requires the cooperation of a number of people from Cole, his family, his representation, Spirit GM Dave Drinkill, head coach Chris Lazary and a host of others.

You will see the finished product sometime before the draft, and we’re excited about it.

In the meantime, here are a few takeaways from our day spent in Saginaw with Cole Perfetti.

1.) The “Dow” – Is way better than you think. The last time I was in Saginaw, Vincent Trocheck and Brandon Saad were participating in the now defunct OHL all-star game. The Dow Event Center is a perfect size for the market, it holds roughly 6,000 people for hockey. The roof isn’t too high, making for a raucous experience, and the new scoreboard and digital ring have transformed the fan experience to a new level.

2.) The room – Saginaw’s dressing room is more like a big-league facility than anything. I was so impressed by the setup available for the players. There’s a fully stocked kitchen attached to a player lounge with a ping-pong table, big comfy couches, TVs, video games, etc. Then there’s the newly renovated weight room and dressing room. Coaches offices are along a hallway to the lounge, giving players open-door access to the entire staff. I can see why players never want to leave.

3.) Rink rat – Cole’s day included a video session, on-ice practice, post-practice workout, another on-ice session with his billet brother’s team, and finally a twirl around the outdoor rink at the billet family home. No question, every available minute not devoted to education is spent doing something hockey related.

4.) PEP Practice – Performance Edge Pro is a familiar brand in hockey circles. Many players choose to use some form of this training system in the off-season to sharpen skills and to improve on hand-eye coordination, stick-handling and changing shot angles. PEP training is part of the weekly regiment in Saginaw’s practices.

5.) Busy Days – From the time we arrived at Cole’s billet home to bedtime, his every waking minute was scheduled with something. Most of that was hockey related, but this young man is intent on giving back, so the day we were there a hospital visit was scheduled for Cole to see how his donation from his charitable endeavour Fett’s Friends was being put to good use.

6.) Video Room – It looks like a mini-theatre. Plush black leather seats with the Spirit logo embroidered on every seat with a massive screen and several white boards to help players learn from video.

7.) Lot to Like about Laz – Head coach Chris Lazary afforded us the opportunity to sit in on a video session and I was amazed how the kids took to the fast-paced meeting before applying those elements on-ice. Lazary showed off some deft skill in his quick presentation.

8.) Great Vintage – Special thanks to Brandon Bordeaux and his family for allowing us into his home to meet with Cole. No player is able to get to peak performance without the support of his billet family, and clearly the Bordeaux’s have Cole’s best interests in mind.

9.) G-Man – Sat down with Spirt captain Damien Giroux. The Sudbury, Ont., native is the heart and soul of the club. Coming off the removal of a few stitches in his lip, Giroux felt a good clean shave would give his best look for our interview.

10.) Stylin’ and Profilin’ – Perfetti digs his Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers, especially those that feature a collaboration with French designer Commes des Garcons.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.