Perfetti making most of promotion to top line with Jets

CHICAGO -- Cole Perfetti has enjoyed his promotion with the Winnipeg Jets.

The 24-year-old forward got the news from coach Scott Arniel just before training camp that he was moving up to the top line, where he would play alongside left wing Kyle Connor and center Mark Scheifele.

“Great for me. Hopefully, they’re thinking the same thing,” Perfetti said on Thursday.

It's hard to argue why they wouldn't, considering the line's production so far this season.

Perfetti has eight points (five goals, three assists) in eight games, which is tied for second on the Jets with Scheifele (two goals, six assists). Connor, meanwhile, leads the team with 11 points (eight goals, three assists).

“I feel really good. We’re playing well, we’re creating a lot of opportunities, we’re scoring goals,” Perfetti said. “I think we’re really starting to jell with one another and mesh and starting to learn new tendencies and the flow of the game and understanding how they like to play. I think we’ve been off to a good start.”

Arniel said Perfetti has been a good complement to the line.

“The big thing for me is that he’s doing a great job of getting inside,” he said. “You can have three skill guys that all play on the outside, but you don’t get those greasy goals, goals from the inner slot. He’s doing a really good job of getting there. His goals aren’t just coming from the outside, they’re coming from real close to the net.”

That cohesion didn't come naturally, though.

Despite having watched over the past few seasons as Scheifele and Connor, longtime linemates, turned their chemistry into plenty of points, lining up with them was still an adjustment for Perfetti.

“It’s just a feeling out process in the beginning and trying to understand how they like to read off each other and understand what their tendencies are and try to make plays when I can,” Perfetti said. “All through camp it took a little time to get used to it, but each game I feel it’s been better and better.”

They took advantage of every minute they could.

Arniel said when the Jets went to Colorado for some team building near the end of training camp, Scheifele and Perfetti did about two or three days’ work together. Connor was back in Winnipeg awaiting the birth of his second child.

Scheifele said Perfetti, “Has done an awesome job of asking questions."

“Gabe (Vilardi) did the same thing when he was with us (last season)," Scheifele added. "He asked a lot of good questions, he wanted to understand how we kind of move throughout the whole ice.

“‘Fetts’ has done an amazing job. He’s done so many good things. (Having) a good stick, good at battles. He’s been amazing. It’s always a work in progress. This league is tough and it’s difficult every single night, so you’ve got to keep working, but ‘Fetts’ has been great at that.”

It helps that Perfetti came into this season healthy.

Last season, he sustained an ankle injury in a preseason game against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 3. He made his regular-season debut on Nov. 9, but it took longer to feel like himself again.

“It was definitely hard playing catch-up, and I wasn’t feeling confident, really, in my ankle until later in the year,” he said. “It’s definitely nice to use all summer to heal and recover and do everything like that. I came into the season feeling really well. It’s nice to, knock on wood, feel good and just have that confidence in yourself.”

That confidence couldn't be coming at a better time for the Jets, who will head outside this week to play the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX).

It’ll be Perfetti’s first NHL outdoor game.

“Some of my memories that stick out from when I was little was watching outdoor games,” he said. “I was watching Pittsburgh play in a couple of games, Chicago play in a couple of games. There were some fond memories of watching the outdoor games and how cool it was. Getting the opportunity to play in one is super exciting, especially at home. Playing on home ice in front of our families, it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere.”

An atmosphere that the Jets (4-2-2) intend to use as a spark plug in their efforts to return to the postseason.

Winnipeg missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best record in the regular season in 2024-25.

“We know what kind of team we have, we know what we’re capable of. We know we’re a top team in this league and can be,” Perfetti said. “Last year, it just didn’t go our way. We didn’t play our best. There are a lot of people writing us off and not giving us the credit that I think we deserve, but that’s all right. I think everyone is pretty determined to go out there and prove everyone wrong.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Darrin Bauming contributed to this report.