| Scott Perunovich | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_by_Sandro_Halank%25E2%2580%2593038.jpg) Perunovich with Team USA in 2023 | |||
| Born | (1998-08-18)August 18, 1998 (age 26) Hibbing, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | New York Islanders St. Louis Blues | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 45th overall,2018 St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Scott Douglas Perunovich[1] (born August 18, 1998) is an American professionalice hockeydefenceman for theNew York Islanders of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by theSt. Louis Blues in the second round, 45th overall, in the2018 NHL entry draft.
While playing with theUniversity of Minnesota Duluth, Perunovich was named to theAHCA East First-Team All-American, theNCHC First All-Conference Team,All-Tournament Team, andNCHC All-Rookie team. He won several awards for his outstanding play, including theNCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year,NCHC Rookie of the Year andHobey Baker Award.
Internationally, Perunovich has represented the United States at the2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where they finished in fifth place, and the2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, winning a bronze medal.
Perunovich was born to Jim and Susan Perunovich[1] on August 18, 1998, inHibbing, Minnesota.[2] He is of Serbian descent.[3] Perunovich's paternal great-grandparents Nikola (Nicholas) and Stana (Stella) Perunović immigrated to Hibbing from Montenegro; Nikola was a descendant of thePješivci tribe, and Perunovich's ancestors had fought against the invading colonialOttoman Empire.[4] He began figure skating lessons at the age of four before eventually joining a hockey team.[5] Although his uncle Doug Torrel played for theUniversity of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs from 1988 to 1992 and was drafted by theVancouver Canucks in the1987 NHL entry draft,[6] Perunovich was attracted to the school due to the team's success.[7]
Perunovich attendedHibbing High School from 2014 to 2017, during which he played three seasons of prep school hockey and tennis.[8] While playing for the Hibbing High School Bluejackets Bantam A team in 2014, he was drafted by theCedar Rapids RoughRiders of theUnited States Hockey League (USHL).[9] He opted to continue to play for Hibbing High School, where he led the team to a 37–10–5 record and was named a finalist for Bantam Player Of the Year.[10]
In 2015, Perunovich committed to play Division 1 hockey for theUniversity of Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs starting in the 2017–18 season.[11] Team USA head coachDerek Plante, who had helped Duluth recruit Perunovich, called him a "very crafty, a smart hockey player."[12] The 2015–16 season proved to be one of his best both on the ice and tennis court. As a sophomore and junior, Perunovich and Jake Jolowsky won the Section 7A doubles title and qualified for the Minnesota high school boys tennis state tournament for a third consecutive season.[13] Overall, he won 80 percent of his matches and was named theMesabi Daily News,Hibbing Daily Tribune, andGrand Rapids Herald Review Tennis Player of the Year.[8] In January 2016, Perunovich joined the U.S. National Under-18 Team for two games againstSt. Cloud State.[14] After his senior year, Perunovich then played one season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders during which he struggled being away from home and recorded the worstplus-minus in the league.[5]
Perunovich played for the University of Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs from 2017 to 2020, where he enrolled in theCollege of Liberal Arts, majoring in communications.[1] Perunovich played 42 games for the Bulldogs during the2017–18 season[1] and recorded his first collegiategoal in a 4–3 loss toMichigan Tech on October 7, 2017.[15] Perunovich ended his freshman season with 36 points, tying fourth nationally among all defenseman and third for freshman. As a result of his outstanding play, Perunovich was named anAHCA East First-Team All-American,NCHC First All-Conference Team,NCHC All-Rookie team,All-Tournament Team,NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year, andNCHC Rookie of the Year. He was the first Minnesota–Duluth Bulldog to be named Rookie of the Year and Offensive Defenseman of the Year and set a new Bulldogs record for most points by a freshman defenceman.[16] His prolific freshman season helped the Bulldogs win theNCAA National Championship title and he was named to the NCAA Frozen FourAll–Tournament Team.[17] He was also the first NCHC player to be awarded theTim Taylor Award as men's Division I National Rookie of the Year.[18]
Perunovich's strong play during his rookie season earned him a midterm ranking by theNHL Central Scouting Bureau,[19] for an eventual final rank of 102nd overall for North American Skaters eligible for the2018 NHL entry draft.[20] When asked to compare his skating, Perunovich says he models his game after NHL defensemanTorey Krug.[21] Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin also often referred to him as a "fourth forward."[22] After he had been passed over in his first two years of eligibility, theSt. Louis Blues drafted Perunovich in the second round of the draft on the word of their scouts,Keith Tkachuk and J Niemiec, that he was worth the chance.[21]
Perunovich returned to the Bulldogs for his sophomore season. On October 23, 2018, Perunovich was named the NCAA First Star of the Week after he recorded six points in two back-to-back games against theMaine Black Bears.[23] On January 17, 2019, Perunovich was nominated for theHobey Baker Award[24] and later for the Offensive Defenseman of the Year.[25] Perunovich helped lead the Bulldogs to the2019 NCHC Tournament with 27 points, where they competed in the first round against theOmaha Mavericks.[26] On March 13, Perunovich was again selected for the NCHC First All-Conference Team.[27] Although the Bulldogs won the first game of the series against Omaha, Perunovich was forced to sit out due to injury.[28] After returning to the ice, Perunovich helped the Bulldogs defeat St. Cloud State 3–2 to qualify for the NCAA Championship.[29] He was also named the winner of NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year for the second consecutive season.[30] In the first round of the2019 NCAA Championship, Minnesota-Duluth beatBowling Green State University 2–1 inovertime to advance to the second round[31] where they faced theQuinnipiac Bobcats. On March 31, the Bulldogs qualified for the Frozen Four with Perunovich recording anassist in the 3–1 win over the Quinnipiac Bobcats.[32] After beating theProvidence Friars 4–1,[33] Perunovich was named anAHCA East Second-Team All-American.[34] On April 13, the Bulldogs went on to clinch another NCAA Championship title after a 3–0 win over theUMass Minutemen.[35]
On July 28, 2019, Perunovich committed to another year with the Bulldogs[36] and proved once again to be an asset to the team. During his junior season, Perunovich ranked second in theNational Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) in assists with 34 and becoming the first defenceman to lead the NCHA in scoring.[37] After his collegiate season was suspended due toCOVID-19 pandemic, Perunovich signed a contract with the St. Louis Blues allowing him to play with the team if the NHL season continues.[38] He was later announced the winner of the 2020Hobey Baker Award for being the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player[39] and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year for the third consecutive season.[40] Perunovich became the sixth Bulldogs player in the team's history to receive the Hobey Baker Award.[37]
Following the conclusion of his junior year with the Bulldogs, Perunovich ended his collegiate career by agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract with his drafting club, the St. Louis Blues, on March 28, 2020.[41] He was re-assigned to the Blues'American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theUtica Comets, to begin the2020–21 season.[42] In February, it was announced that Perunovich would miss most of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.[43]
In September 2021, Perunovich was named team captain of the St. Louis Blues Prospects Team during the NHL's prospect tournament in Traverse City.[44] Following the tournament, he competed with the Blues during their preseason games.[45] Prior to the start of the 2021–22 season, Perunovich was re-assigned to their AHL affiliate, theSpringfield Thunderbirds.[46]
Perunovich made his NHL debut with the Blues on November 18, 2021 in a game against theSan Jose Sharks, scoring his first NHL point with an assist.[47]
On June 24, 2023, as a restricted free agent, Perunovich was signed to a one-year, $775,000 contract extension with the Blues.[48]
During the2024–25 season, Perunovich's play was unable to solidfy a role within the defensive corps on the Blues, primarily serving in a third-pairing role when inserted into the lineup and registering 2 goals and 6 points in 24 appearances. On January 27, 2025, Perunovich was traded by the Blues to the New York Islanders in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2026.[49]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing United States | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2018 United States | |
Perunovich has represented the United States at various international tournaments at the junior level. In 2015, he was invited to participate with Team USA at the2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,[50] where they finished in fifth place.[51]
In December 2017, Perunovich was selected for theUnited States men's national junior ice hockey team preliminary roster prior to the2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[52] After making the final cut, he scored one goal and two assists during the tournament to help Team USA win a bronze medal.[53] His only goal of the tournament came during the first outdoor World Juniors game to eliminate a two-goal deficit and beatTeam Canada 4–3.[54]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2016–17 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 56 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | University of Minnesota–Duluth | NCHC | 42 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | University of Minnesota–Duluth | NCHC | 39 | 3 | 26 | 29 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | University of Minnesota–Duluth | NCHC | 34 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 19 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 17 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 22 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 54 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 24 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 97 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | United States | IH18 | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2018 | United States | WJC |  | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2023 | United States | WC | 4th | 10 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| USHS | ||
| All-USA Hockey First Team | 2016 | [55] |
| College | ||
| AHCA West First Team All–American | 2018, 2020 | [16][56] |
| NCHC First All-Conference Team | 2018, 2019 | |
| All–Tournament Team | 2018 | |
| NCHC All–Rookie Team | 2018 | |
| NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year | 2018, 2019, 2020 | |
| NCHC Rookie of the Year | 2018 | |
| Tim Taylor Award | 2018 | [18] |
| AHCAWest Second Team All-American | 2019 | [34] |
| Hobey Baker Award | 2020 | [39] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | NCHC Rookie of the Year 2017–18 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year 2017–18,2018–19,2019–20 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tim Taylor Award 2017–18 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCHC Player of the Year 2019–20 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hobey Baker Award 2019–20 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCHC Three Stars Award 2019–20 With:Jordan Kawaguchi | Succeeded by |