Few university graduates often find themselves with a looming uncertainty.
Ken Peroff, on the other hand, is facing a different kind of post-graduation dilemma: where to begin his pro hockey career.
The Astorville native is coming off one of his busiest semesters at the University of Guelph. In just a matter of weeks, Peroff finished his senior season as the Gryphons’ top defenseman, wrote the last exams of his geography degree and, most importantly, got his first glimpse at pro hockey.
One week after being eliminated from OUA playoffs, he was given an opportunity to be part of the Toledo Walleye’s roster in the ECHL, playing 16 games with the squad to finish off the regular season.
“It felt like I fit right in,” said Peroff. “The pace of play was definitely a lot faster than what I was used to in the CIS. But I had a lot of success in the CIS, so I think I was able to handle it and come in and contribute right away.”
And, as it turns out, he was right to think that.
“There’s no doubt about it, Ken can play in our league for sure,” said Walleye’s interim head coach Dan Watson. “He came in and he was focused. He’s a well-conditioned athlete, he prepared extremely well, and he’s an extremely hard worker.”
“He thinks the game well, he’s very mature. He’s a pro player already in terms of his mentality and the way he carries himself off the ice,” Watson continued. “His mindset is right. If he’s under the right coach, someone who can develop him properly, I don’t see why he maybe couldn’t get a shot in the American Hockey League.”
While Peroff was only able to put up one goal and one assist with the conference-worst Walleye, he says the experience was trial by fire, at times going up against the league’s top teams like the South Carolina Stingrays.
The exposure, he says, was invaluable and set a new benchmark for his game.
“Now I’m knowledgeable of what I need to work on. I’m much more aware of what I’m actually good at and what I’m not good at as a hockey player.”
Now, entering his first off-season as a free agent, Peroff is in unfamiliar territory. But with a plethora of pro options ahead of him, he insists the new challenge lights a fire underneath him all the more.
He says he has received multiple offers to play pro overseas, but wants to explore his options in North America first. With the Walleye in search of a new head coach and not being in a position to make a formal offer, Peroff says he might not know where he will end up until the late stages of the summer.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty in it, but that’s basically the moral of minor pro hockey: very little job security and it’s hard to say where you’re going to end up,” Peroff explained. “It’s new for me; I’ve never really been a free agent before and I’ve never had to deal with anything like this.
“I’m welcoming it.”
But like having only a tiny bite of the entire pie, Peroff’s modest exposure to a pro league has ignited his appetite for more. The first priority is preparing his six-foot, 195-pound frame for the drastically increased workload of the pro ranks.
“There’s no doubt the motivation is there to ramp up the intensity this summer because pro hockey is a whole new game,” said Peroff, his tone turning stern and serious.
“I’m going to have to be in better shape, there’s just no argument there. For me now, it’s just about trying to gain that edge; getting a little bit bigger, a little stronger, and a little faster.”
It’s clear that his performance in his final CIS season caught the eyes of pro scouts outside of Toledo too. His CIS career best eight goals and 21 assists earned him CIS men’s hockey second team All-Canadian honours and OUA West first team all-star honours.
To top it all off, he was named the top defenseman in the OUA West, making him the first Gryphon in team history to earn the designation.
“I knew coming into this season I was going to have to step it up and have my best year,” said Peroff. “The top defenseman thing is big. I know there have been some big name defensemen to come through Guelph in the past that have gone on to have a lot of success, so I guess to solidify my spot there among Gryphon defensemen is nice.”
His success at the CIS level is something Watson said the organization valued immediately.
“For us, in Toledo, we like those guys. They’re a little bit more mature,” Watson explained. “I think it’s important to make sure they have good character, a good work ethic, and their maturity level is high as well, so those guys can sometimes come in and be leaders right away.”
If you go back even further, you’ll remember that Peroff played four seasons with the Battalion prior to their arrival in North Bay. He says he’s going to be paying close attention to the Battalion and that he couldn’t be happier for the team’s recent success, especially now that they’re closer to home.
“As a guy that’s had hockey in his life forever, you cheer for the teams you used to play for and you cheer for the teams from your home town,” he explains. “It’s pretty ironic how the team I used to play for is now in my hometown, it makes it easy.
“I couldn’t be happier for Stan Butler, number one. Just for the influence he’s had on my career, but also to see him have that influence on other players. Clearly he’s doing something right there in North Bay.
“For North Bay to have an OHL team and for them to be doing well with it, and to be doing well with the same kind of management that I’m familiar with from when I was in Brampton, I’m really pulling for them.”
But now, with perhaps the most exciting episode of his entire hockey career ahead of him, Peroff knows his past success, accomplishments and accolades mean very little if he plans to stay in stride with the pros come September.
Photo courtesy the www.toledoblade.com
