The Ever-Steady Scott Perunovich Leads The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

The Ever-Steady Scott Perunovich Leads The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

Ranked at No. 5 in Monday’s poll, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are playing like they’re ready for their third NCAA title in as many years.

Feb 25, 2020 by Jacob Messing
The Ever-Steady Scott Perunovich Leads The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

Ranked at No. 5 in Monday’s poll, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are playing like they’re ready for their third NCAA title in as many years.

Defenseman Scott Perunovich has been a backbone in the team’s consecutive championships and is proving to be a vital piece once again as conference playoffs near.

The junior leads the Bulldogs with 35 points (5 G, 30 A) in 30 games this season and is on pace to finish first in team scoring for the second time in three years. Perunovich’s 1.17 points per game are second among all defensemen and 16th nationally.

A solid two-way defenseman, there is not much left for the 21-year-old to prove at the collegiate level with 100 points (19 G, 81 A) in 111 career games. With one remaining year of eligibility, there’s a chance he chooses to return in 2020-21 for another year of development with the nation’s best team of the past two years.



But the second-round, 45th overall pick in 2018 could have a contract offer awaiting him come season’s end. With his NHL signing rights belonging to the St. Louis Blues, he could be enticed with an entry-level contract from the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

The Blues organization has a lot of pending free agents on the blue line, namely captain Alex Pietrangelo, who is owed a new contract. While a contract extension is extremely likely, the chance of losing the defenseman remains a possibility.

With an extension meaning a hefty raise, the Blues’ salary cap is about to become very complicated and entry-level contracts will become important in configuring the active roster in 2020-21.

Enter the possibility of Perunovich, who would come in on an aforementioned entry-level deal pending the signing of a contract this spring. Still, no room remains on the blue line short of Perunovich stealing a job from an NHL regular despite his strong NCAA career and proven championship-winning work ethic.

But that does not mean Perunovich may not be on the verge of the next step. Again, pending a contract offer, Perunovich has the option to join the Blues AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, if he believes there is nothing left for him in the NCAA.

In San Antonio, the blue line has six expiring contracts. Despite five of the contracts belonging to pending restricted free agents — given that two were previously unrestricted free agents via no qualifying offers — a large retooling could occur within the organization this summer.

That leaves a lot of room for Perunovich to take the next step and earn ice time at the next level while continuing development for a long-term NHL plan. It would offer the Hobey Baker contender a chance to develop in a faster, stronger, more system-based league with less expectation and spotlight than the NHL would provide for a recent Stanley Cup championship team.

While the next step is near, there is still a lot of work ahead of Perunovich and the Bulldogs as they push for a third consecutive NCAA title.


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