Career Reflection - Perry Laperriere

[KaleebtheMighty 1,509]

If there was ever a player that resembled the Prague Phantoms in their entirety, Perry Laperriere would make an excellent case for it. With one season still left to play before he rides off into the sunset, Perry currently sits at 3rd overall in points, 6th overall in assists, 2nd overall in goals, 3rd overall in games played, 2nd in GWG, 2nd overall in shots, and 3rd overall in hits. Regarding playoff records for Prague, Laperriere sits in the top 4 for nearly every statistic besides SB and PIM. Besides hits, each of those regular season and playoff records for Prague could be broken by Laperriere at some point next season as the Phantoms try once again to push for a cup.

 

Coming in as a S82 prospect, Perry played initially for the Philadelphia Reapers before entering his period of being drafted. In the VHLM, Perry would be drafted in the S81 VHLM draft 11th overall by the Ottawa Lynx. Criminally underrated in that draft and going behind the likes of Ragnar Hagstrom and Marshall Maxx, Laperriere was instrumental in helping Ottawa win the S81 Founder’s cup with a healthy 36 goals and 57 assists for a total of 93 points.

 

In the S82 draft for the VHLE, Perry would join the Istanbul Redwolves initially before being traded to the Geneva Rush. While still putting up respectable numbers there, he was again underrated in that offense and pushed back to the 2nd line until he was traded back to Istanbul to round out the season. They never reached the playoffs.

 

For the S82 VHL draft, Laperriere was selected behind the stars like Vasile Lamb and Ronan Lavelle where he went 11th overall to the Prague Phantoms. While it took him a season to find his footing, he never once put up less than 80 points after his rookie season. Prague’s consistent center continuously drove to make the team better and committed himself to the success of Prague. And just like Laperriere, Prague throughout the past few seasons has been underrated. They haven’t won a single award beyond the S88 Victory Cup for the best record in the VHL. They’ve made the playoffs 4 times in Laperriere’s Phantom tenure; they only made the finals once. With teams that should have at least resulted in 2-3 cups with Prague, they just couldn’t get it done.

 

Like Prague, Laperriere just could never get it done. He certainly puts up points when needed and plays his heart out. But even with the consistent production, he and the team could just never capitalize on any hardware. He hasn’t won a single individual award throughout his career. He continues to be one of the most underrated players in the VHL, appearing in the Top 10 point list many times in multiple seasons only to stall and slip away while others out produced him.

 

Could things have been different for Perry if he had done things differently? Might there have been a more successful career if he had played on other teams or chased cups through FA? Was there a chance at a HOF career with multiple accolades had he been drafted elsewhere? Honestly, we will never know. There will always be a big maybe surrounding that question. But if there’s one thing Perry knows he doesn’t regret, it’s his commitment to the Phantoms. The team has been good to him, allowing him to stay for his career and focusing their efforts on trying to get Laperriere that cup. While he may only have one last chance at a championship, one final ride to obtain those franchise records, one last season to achieve his dreams… he enters the Prague locker room each day with his head held high, proud of his career and the legacy he has left behind with the Phantoms.