Joël Perrault (born April 6, 1983) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

who played a total of 96 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) throughout his playing career, which lasted from 2003 to 2016.

Playing career

Perrault was drafted by the

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: Businesses *Mighty Audio, an American company known for its product ''Mighty'', a portable audio player *Mighty Animation, an animation studio based in Guadalajara, Mexico Films *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy–drama * ''The ...

in the fifth round, 137th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In his last year of

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

, Perrault was the

QMJHL The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

's leading scorer while playing for the

Baie-Comeau Drakkar The Baie-Comeau Drakkar is a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League that plays at Centre Henry-Leonard in Baie-Comeau, Quebec. The name "Drakkar" refers to a type of longship. History The Drakkar first pl ...

. After turning professional, Perrault spent two seasons in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) with the

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were members of the American Hockey League, and played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. Throughout their existence they were the primary m ...

and the

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks ...

before he was traded to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

in exchange for

Sean O'Donnell Sean O'Donnell (born October 13, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Drafted 123rd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, O'Donnell has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angel ...

on March 9, 2006. In the 2006–07 season on October 31, 2006,

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

claimed Perrault of waivers before being reclaimed by the Coyotes on December 19, 2006. He also spent parts of the season in the AHL with the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was so ...

and the Blues' minor affiliate, the

Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: *Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 *Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 *Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 *Peoria Rivermen (SP ...

. In 2007–08, Perrault split time between the NHL and AHL scoring 17 points in 49 games for the Coyotes. Over the following two seasons, he remained in the Phoenix organization but was unable to establish a permanent role in the NHL, often relied on as an offensive contributor with San Antonio. On May 11, 2010, Perrault signed with Swiss team

EV Zug EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena. History EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in t ...

of the

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league h ...

(NLA). With the inclusion of an out clause for NHL interest, Perrault opted out with EV Zug and signed a one-year contract with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

on July 1, 2010. Perrault began the 2010–11 season in the AHL. He played 15 games for the Canucks' top affiliate, the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

, before being recalled to the NHL to make his Vancouver debut on November 20 in a 7–1 home game against the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

. On February 28, 2011, Perrault was traded (along with a third-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft) to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for

Maxim Lapierre Maxim Lapierre (born March 29, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he was selected in the second round, 61st overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NH ...

and MacGregor Sharp. On May 5, 2011, Perrault again signed in Switzerland, agreeing to a one-year and optional second year contract with the

SCL Tigers The SC Langnau Tigers are a professional ice hockey team from Langnau im Emmental, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL). The team plays its home games in the 6,050-seat Emmental Versicherung Arena, which is currently one of the sm ...

beginning in the 2011–12 season. On November 18, he signed a one-year contract with

HC Ambrì-Piotta Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League (NL). The club was founded September 19, 1937, and is also known as "Bianco-Blu" (English: white and blues). Though they have never won the leagu ...

for the remainder of the season. On July 20, 2012, Perrault signed with

HIFK HIFK, the Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (IFK, Helsingfors) rf (officially abbreviated IFK Helsingfors, colloquially often Helsingfors IFK or Helsingin IFK) is a multi-sport association based in Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 1897 on ...

of the Finnish

SM-liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mest ...

for the 2012–13 season. Midway through the campaign, he determined his stay in Finland would be a solitary season after signing a contract for the following season with

Krefeld Pinguine The Krefeld Pinguine (Krefeld Penguins) are an ice hockey team in the DEL2. Their home ice is in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the Yayla Arena. Founded in 1936 by entrepreneur Willi Münstermann, the pro team became a limited liab ...

of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

(DEL) on December 10, 2013, also spending the 2014–15 season with the club. In December 2015, Perrault signed with

Dragons de Rouen The Dragons de Rouen (Rouen Dragons), are a French professional ice hockey team based in Rouen playing in the Ligue Magnus. The team was founded in 1982 and plays home games at the Île Lacroix. History Only 3 years after its founding, the cl ...

of the French

Ligue Magnus The Ligue Magnus, currently known as Synerglace Ligue Magnus for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's division of the French ice hockey pyramid, established in 1906. The league operated under a variety of names before taking that of its champio ...

for the remainder of the 2015–16 season. He helped Rouen win the French championship, the French Cup competition as well as the

IIHF Continental Cup The Continental Cup is a second-level ice hockey tournament for European clubs (behind Champions Hockey League), begun in 1997 after the discontinuing of the European Cup. It was intended for teams from countries without representatives in the ...

. Perrault retired from professional hockey at the end of the season in March 2016.

Career statistics

Awards

* 2002–03

First All-Star team *2002–03

Jean Beliveau Trophy Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

(Leading Scorer) *2002–03

Michel Briere Trophy (MVP) *2002–03 CHL First All-Star team

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perrault, Joel 1983 births Living people HC Ambrì-Piotta players Anaheim Ducks draft picks Augusta Lynx players Baie-Comeau Drakkar players Canadian ice hockey centres Cincinnati Mighty Ducks players HIFK (ice hockey) players Krefeld Pinguine players Manitoba Moose players Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players Phoenix Coyotes players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Portland Pirates players St. Louis Blues players San Antonio Rampage players SCL Tigers players Vancouver Canucks players Ice hockey people from Montreal 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland