Matthew PerreaultARLINGTON, Va.— The Washington Capitals have re-signed center Mathieu Perreault to a two-year extension, according to vice president and general manager George McPhee.
Capitals officials said 24-year-old Perreault set career highs in the 2011-2012 season with goals, 14 assists, 30 points, 64 games played, and a plus-9 rating. Perreault finished first on Washington in a 26.7 shooting percentage and tied for fourth on the team with four game-winning goals.
His 30 points ranked 10th on the team while he finished tied for fifth in goals and fourth in plus/minus. Perreault tallied his first career NHL hat trick on January 24 versus Boston and made his NHL playoff debut against the Bruins, appearing in four postseason games with the Capitals in 2012. The Drummondville, Quebec, native has collected 53 points with Washington including 27 goals and 26 assists and is a plus-10 in 120 career NHL games.
Perreault was originally drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has played the second-most games and has registered the second-most points among the 2006 Capitals draft class, trailing only Nicklas Backstrom in each category, and is one of just four players in the league drafted in the fourth round or later in 2006 to have posted 50 or more career points.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound center won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with Hershey of the American Hockey League in 2009 and 2010. Perreault was named to the Canadian Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Second All-Star Teams in 2007-2008, recording 80 assists and 114 points, the most in the QMJHL that season. In the 2006-2007 season, Perreault was named to the CHL Second All-Star Team, the QMJHL First All-Star Team, and named the QMJHL's most valuable player.
