Defenseman Nick Perna hails from Dallas, Texas and found his way to Portland by way of a bantam program many around the Winterhawks are starting to recognize. The Dallas Stars Elite Hockey Club has been growing the game in the greater Dallas area with 13 teams, (nine men’s teams and four women’s teams) by placing an emphasis on pee wee and bantam hockey.
Winterhawks general manager and head coach Mike Johnston spoke about the connection, “We’ve had several players from that program. I think they do a good job in several ways down there. They’ve opened up several new arenas and expanded the game of hockey down there. Their AAA programs at peewee and bantam are very solid. They are starting to produce some players and it is nice to see that. Some of them are transplanted Canadians others are American kids who’ve played there before.”
Winterhawks fans will remember two of the most notable alumni of the Dallas Stars U16 team. Brothers Caleb and Seth Jones played bantam hockey in Dallas prior to eventually joining Portland. Seth captained the 2008-2009 team while younger brother Caleb saw 50 games across the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. Seth was selected fourth overall in the 2013 NHL draft and Caleb in the fourth round in 2015. Nick Perna hopes to add his name to this list.
Perna played his entire career in Texas before joining the Winterhawks. Nick spoke about his journey, “when I was younger I didn’t know much about the WHL, and then Portland protected me when I was 15, and I came here for camp and absolutely loved it. I then went back home and came back up for a visit and signed right after.” During this year’s training camp Perna was making quite the impression as he made play after play in the Neely Cup. Unfortunately for Nick, he suffered an injury on the second to last day of camp and thus missed the preseason.
Appearing in four of the 11 games for the Winterhawks, Nick has taken advantage of the ice time he’s received. “It has been really good, I started off pretty strong. I had the injury in training camp/preseason so it made it tough coming into the regular season, but I got in with the guys and had a good start.”
Johnston mentioned, “I saw him play a year and a half ago, I really liked him as a player. He’s come a long way in the last couple of years. He has really grown, some of these big, tall kids they’ve gone through growth spurts.” Johnston would continue with praise for Perna, “I think he is a very smart, smooth skater. I like his hockey IQ and he’s only going to get better as he gets more games in the league.” Winterhawks assistant coach and general manager Kyle Gustafson said Nick is, “a guy who probably gets described as a little bit of a late bloomer. We are really happy with the strides he’s taken since he’s been here.”
Perna is one of Portland’s taller defensemen, standing 6-foot-3. Nick uses his height to his advantage. Gustafson said, “defensively, for a big, rangy guy he’s got a good stick. He still needs to mature physically, so there are going to be some battles that you will live with that he won’t complete. He makes up for it with his stick though.” Johnston is looking for Perna to add some weight and muscle in his 17-year-old season, “however, you say that about every young kid.”
For many young defensemen the game can come at them quickly; however, for Perna, the opposite is true. Per Kyle Gustafson, “Nick goes back and there is a sense of calmness when he gets to the puck. He usually makes a play as opposed to just get the puck out of the zone, we really like that aspect.” Perna hopes his offensive ability will eventually lead to some points on the board, but for now is happy to be helping the team anyway he can.
One aspect helping Nick with his transition from the Dallas Stars U16 team is having last year’s teammate Cross Hanas also on the Winterhawks. Perna commented, “Cross and I have grown up together since we were probably six-years-old. His dad used to coach both of us so we have a really strong connection. We’ve stuck next to each other for our entire career so it’s been great having him here.” Hanas is also in his first year with the Winterhawks, so both rookies are helping each other through the learning curve. Cross said, “Nick is a year older than I am, but we got to play together last year. Having a former teammate come up to play with is pretty cool.”
The connection with the Dallas Stars U16 team doesn’t end with Perna and Hanas, the Winterhawks have Jackson Nieuwendyk as a prospect after selecting him in the 12th round in the 2017 bantam draft. Both Nick and Cross are hoping Nieuwendyk ends up in Portland as well. Hanas said, “Jackson is one of my best buddies for sure. He is doing really good back home.” Cross smiled and said, “I hope he keeps his mind right and comes here some day.”
Perna has been part of the rotation on defense with fellow WHL rookies Kade Nolan and Nick Cicek. As Perna is a newer name to the Winterhawks fan base, Nick described his game, “I’m a good heads up defenseman who makes a good first pass. I try to create a little bit of offense, but a puck moving defenseman for sure.” Perna will continue to get additional ice time as the season progresses, but as far as Johnston is concerned, “I really like what he’s brought to our team; he’s brought a different look.”
