The camp will take place in a bubble, one that Perfetti thinks will be one of the best places to train as he not only tries to make Canada's team for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, but also prepare for his first Jets training camp.
"I think this is the closest hockey you can get to the next level, to the NHL," said Perfetti. "The mixture of the pace and the skill, the quality of play out there, it's definitely going to prepare me if I can make that team to go into Jets camp and feel really prepared, and be playing the top level of hockey going into the next level."
Like many Canadians, Perfetti has memories of the World Junior tournament. He was seven-years-old when Jordan Eberle scored the tying goal against Russia in the semi-final of the 2009 event in Ottawa, roughly 400 kilometres from Whitby.
The tournament has a special place in his heart, which is what made getting cut from last year's Canadian team so difficult.
"There are so many lessons you can learn in being cut from a team," said Perfetti. "The big lesson for me was how to bounce back from adversity. Being cut, it's tough, especially from a team like that and that level of hockey.
"The big lesson for me was how to bounce back from adversity."
He returned to his OHL team, the Saginaw Spirit, and finished off his 2019-20 campaign with 37 goals and 111 points, en route to earning CHL and OHL Scholastic Player of the Year awards.
To say he's even more determined heading into this year's Canadian camp is an understatement, and he knows the team could be stacked with talent.
"That tournament is going to be crazy this year. There is going to be a lot of players that normally wouldn't be there - for example, Kirby Dach coming back to Canada, that's a huge boost to the roster and the line-up - all the countries are going to be like that," said Perfetti. "They're going to be getting guys they wouldn't be expecting."
He's poured everything he has into being ready to make the Canadian team. He's been in the gym to add more size to his 5'10", 185-pound frame. He's been skating as much as possible. He's even added spin classes to his fitness program to improve his conditioning.
After the World Juniors, his focus shifts to his next goal - trying to make the Jets out of camp.
"As a player going in and looking at that roster, looking at potential teammates and line mates - you get excited," said Perfetti. "Being able to play with world class players like Scheifele, Wheeler, Connor, and Laine, the list goes on. There are so many great players. To just think about getting a chance to play with those guys, it's pretty unbelievable."
For now, Perfetti is taking a moment to enjoy his first NHL contract, one that he's worked so hard to earn, and one that his parents were just as involved in as he was.
"My agents and the Jets did a great job incorporating all of us and making sure we got what we all wanted," said Perfetti. "I think everyone handled it very well and my parents were involved a lot in the process. It was an unbelievable process and it was pretty cool to finally sign my first contract."
