Last season, Anthony Perdicaro was making noise with the Cowichan Valley Capitals. And while the rugged winger didn't make any friends outside of his own dressing room, his strong physical play and a solid scoring touch grabbed the attention of pro scouts.
A few months after the Capitals' season ended with a Coastal Conference Finals loss to the Victoria Grizzlies, the East Rockaway, New York product has signed a contract with the East Coast Hockey League's Wheeling Nailers. Better still, that deal comes with an invitation to attend training camp with the American Hockey League's Great Falls Phantoms, the top minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.
“I set the goal for myself in the summer that I wanted to be in the AHL this season,” Perdicaro says. “I want to be playing at that level, and to be a full-time player.”
Drawing attention has rarely been a problem for the 20-year old. In just 67 BCHL games played over three seasons, Perdicaro totalled 205 minutes in penalties. But the agitating forward also tallied 54 points, including 23 in just 28 games with Cowichan Valley last season.
“I'm excited about the opportunity,” Perdicaro says of his first professional training camp and the possibility of making his way straight to the AHL.
While the next number of weeks represent his first chance to play while collecting a paycheque, Perdicaro has the experience of last summer's rookie camp with the New York Islanders to fall back on. He's also received enough feedback from scouts and coaches to know what is expected of him when the Phantoms' camp begins on September 21st.
“I want to be tough to play against — that's a big factor for me. They've told me they like that I'm gritty and that I've got a scoring touch. I'm ready to anything, to do whatever it takes to make an impact and make the team.”
