Journeymen - Proof That There’s More Than One Way to Make It in Hockey

ProStockHockey.com proudly presents Journeymen, our ongoing blog series — a raw, unfiltered look into the lives of elite players at various stages of their individual hockey journey, told entirely in their own words. This series isn’t about stats or headlines — it’s about the miles, the grind, and the road that shaped them. Each story dives deep into the successes and failures, the setbacks and celebrations, and those moments when walking away might have been easier — but they didn’t. Through honesty and reflection, these players share what kept them moving forward and what they want young, aspiring players to know from their own experiences as they chase their own hockey dreams.

My name is Brett Perlini I was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, but I grew up in Guildford, England. I currently play for the Cardiff Devils in the Elite Ice Hockey League. I certainly took a different path to pro hockey, and I want to share that even though I grew up in a non-traditional hockey country, I was still able to get drafted to the NHL and have a 13+ year pro career.

I first started skating in a suburb of London called Streatham. My dad was playing there at the time, and once I had got my first pair of skates for Christmas (at 18 months old) that’s all I wanted to do was skate.

Finding Ice Time Where None Existed

A few years later, our family moved about 30 miles to a town called Guildford, and I joined the local junior program there at 4-years-old. The youngest age group at the time in the UK was under 10s, so I was hoping on the ice trying to learn the game with 9-year-olds who had been playing for years. Needless to say, I didn’t get much game time!

Even the regulars only managed 16-18 games per season, mix that in with one to two practices per week and it wasn’t much opportunity to improve. There are not many ice rinks in the UK compared to the amount of people, and the rinks that are available mainly cater the ice time to public skates or figure skating. Some of our teams, even at a young age, would be practicing at 10 p.m. or even 5 a.m. on a Sunday! Around then, my parents started a roller hockey business to try and grow the game in the local areas. They would travel to different schools to get the kids involved, provide equipment and have games in the school gymnasiums or outside on the gravel soccer rinks. At one point, they would be going to a different school every day of the week and I would tag along to all of them. It was a nice routine, I would get picked up from school, then we’d head to the next school to practice and play. My parents would use me as a demonstrator for a lot of drills as most of the kids had not played before. A couple years of this went by, and more and more kids were joining. The ones that were there from the start improved so much especially me, as I had been going to almost every session! I got back on the ice with the U10s team and instead of a 4/5-year-old that could barely keep up, I was head and shoulders above the rest at 8-years-old. What I learned is that even in circumstances that are not ideal, you can really improve if you enjoy what you are doing and keep showing up.

Learning to Compete and Belong

We still had the issue of only 18 games per season and one to two on ice practices per week. I was lucky enough to play up an age group for the next few seasons as well as my own age. Plus, we had these select teams in different regions called conference teams. When you combined all those there were definitely more games and ice available to make some real progress. I was fortunate to be on some good teams during this time. Our Guildford teams were always competing for national championships every year, and the only time we didn’t win was in my U12s year. The conference teams and tournaments were always special for me. That was the where the best players would come together and compete in one tournament. My first year at the tournament I was playing with the older kids and our Southwest team didn’t do too well. We lost in the semifinals and we got dominated by the favorites: the Midlands Conference. It was a real eye opener for me. They were bigger faster, stronger — and even had their own entrance song! Very intimidating. That was a huge motivation for me the following year I was going to make sure that never happened to us again.

Proving It Against the Best

There were some great teams there including the London Knights, Toronto Jr. Canadiens, but the best team was the Markham Waxers. Their roster was loaded with many guys going on to play in the NHL, and their best player was Steven Stamkos who was lighting up the tournament. Many of our players were intimidated playing Markham and rightly so, but we were going to give it our best and have fun with it. Halfway through the game we were down 5-1. Timeout. “Boys relax, get it together, lets settle down and play” echoed our coach. Not as intense as my dad’s timeout, but the message was the same. I went into absolute beast mode. That “screw it” mentality where you stop thinking and caring what others think and find your flow state. If I could just bottle that up, life would be a lot easier! However, at that moment I found it. Another hat trick and epic comeback had us leave the best team in Ontario and possibly North America in shock with a 7-5 victory. That game meant a lot to me and my teammates. I proved to myself I can compete with the best, and that I could go somewhere with hockey.

Choosing a Different Path

I spent another two years in the Soo, eventually getting drafted to the hometown Soo Greyhounds in the OHL. For a lot of my buddies there, that was the dream. I however chose a different path. Shocking right?! I opted to play NCAA hockey at Michigan State University.

Something about the college route spoke to me. I don’t know if it’s because I wanted to be different, or the amazing facilities, getting an education, or the exciting atmosphere at Munn Ice Arena, but it just felt right. Before I stepped on campus though I had to finish high school and decide where I was going to play junior. I had just had a really good year with the Soo Thunderbirds Jr. A Tier II team playing with my cousin Matt. I tied for the league lead in goals and won rookie of the year. I could return and play there another year, but it was my NHL Draft year, and I wanted to go to a league more recognized.

A Draft Year That Didn’t Go as Planned

The summer before I had gone to a camp for a new team in the USHL called the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets. I did well, and they wanted me to play on the team as a 16-year-old. but we decided to wait another year. The team were living and practicing in Cleveland and would play their home games in Columbus, and it seemed a little tricky logistically. The following year they came calling again, but this time the team was based in Columbus and seemed more stable. I was excited for the season, I was living with another player in a fantastic billet home in the luxurious Dublin, Ohio, playing in the top junior league in the U.S. Things seemed promising. As is life, things don’t always work out as planned. My first exhibition game I took a hard hit and felt a little shaken. I carried on playing and even managed an assist before the end of the first period. After that, I got examined by our doctor and I could barely lift my arm. It was a shoulder injury, but we needed a scan to be sure how severe it was. The next week was the fall classic where there are tons of scouts and the perfect chance to make a name for yourself. Our coach asked if I could play and said the Florida Panthers were coming to watch me. The injury was worse than we thought though and I was out six to eight weeks. That was really tough to take. I had never dealt with anything like that before. From then on, the team struggled on the ice and coming back I never found my groove with them. In January, we decided it was best for me to return to the Thunderbirds for the rest of the season. I was really hesitant to go back, as I wanted to stay and make thing right in Columbus. It just wasn’t in the cards. This really hurt my stock as well as far as scouts were concerned. Not what I envisioned my draft year, but there’s always a silver lining and this gave me a great life lesson and prepared me for what I might face next. The good thing about returning home is that I got to play with a lot of my buddies again and finish high school where I started. I also got my swagger back quickly averaging two points per game for the rest of the season and even got my name on the NHL Draft final rankings list — an impressive feat from where I was.

Learning the Hard Way at Michigan State

If you’re going to be a hockey player, you might as well get used to the ups and downs ASAP. Draft day 2008 was another tough one. You think there must be some mistake when you keep hitting refresh and don’t see your name, but then reality hits and it’s another tough pill to swallow. There are only really two things you can do in these situations, let them get you down, or use them to make you better. We find fuel and move on! Stepping onto campus that fall as a true freshman I had a lot to learn. The coaches were firm and demanded the best from you every single day. It’s all about compete. On the ice, in the weight room, on the track, in the classroom, it didn’t matter you were fighting for your spot every single day. We had a big freshman class of 10 guys, but by the end of the season it was down to six. Three transfers and one sent back to junior. I didn’t get off the fourth line at all that season, and for a skill guy that’s not what you want. At the same time, I was grateful to be playing and worked hard in practice to improve. Do I think if I was given a chance I could have produced? Almost certainly, but opportunity is earned and I would have to wait. That season was not up to team expectations, and a lot of the guys from my class paid the price including me. Another big freshman class came in, and these guys were given the opportunities instead of us. At least my first year I was in the lineup, now I wasn’t even dressing or traveling to away games! Now what? Do I have to transfer? Will I ever play here again? This was very stressful on our whole family at the time, but they showed amazing support. I remember when they came to visit. They took me to the bookstore, and we picked put two sports psychology books. Then, I started getting to work on my mental game. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight that was for sure. I had to use practices as games and bring maximum intensity just to even get a consideration. I worked harder than ever, and I knew if and when I got a chance I’d be more than ready.

Earning the Opportunity

The chance came in late December during a holiday tournament known as the Great Lakes Invitational, a yearly event featuring our team, University of Michigan, Michigan Tech, and one invitee this year was RPI. This took place at Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings. We were playing Michigan Tech in the first game, and the winners would advance to the finals the next day. It was a huge win to capture the “GLI”, and after years of defeats we wanted badly to win it again. I remember using some of the mental edge techniques I had learned from my psychology books before the game, and I was more dialed in than I've ever felt. Early in the game, we got the puck behind the opposition net. I planned my route perfectly and screamed for a pass and caught it right where I wanted. Boom! 1-0. That was so huge for me. But it didn’t stop there. We ended up with the biggest win of my college career: 10-1 win, and I had two goals and an assist. After the game, I felt this sense of joy and relief. I knew I could do this all along, but it was so nice to prove that to myself and to show everyone else how I had been working. The next game we played RPI in the final, and it was more of the same for me. Another goal and assist in a 6-1 victory, and we took home the title! Why has this kid not been playing, people ask in disbelief?! Luckily, they wouldn’t have to ask it anymore. I was named to the All-Tournament Team and named Most Valuable Player. It was the turning point in my college career! I finished the season with seven goals and 12 points in 20 games — very respectable for D1 college numbers. What was even more impressive is that I did it with zero power play time and on the fourth line still! And that didn’t go unnoticed.

When the Call Finally Came

That summer I got to return home to Soo, Ontario, at the end of June. I was training hard in the gym and looking forward to the future, but I always think it’s important to get away from the game as well. My favorite getaway being on the golf course. Golf is very much a family affair for the Perlini’s, right up there with hockey. And the particular course we were playing that day had some special memories to it for us. The Oaks at Kincheloe is just across the border in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. This golf course saw my mom get a hole-in-one in a tournament that her team went on to win. Even more bizarre was when my parents were playing a round while my mom was pregnant with me. Her water broke during the round and as you do my dad said to the group in front an all-time quote, “Can we play through? My wife has just gone into labour.” Needless to say, something special seems to happen when we play this course. I was a beautiful summer’s day with the sun shining and slowly setting when we’d finished the 18th, but when we’d got back to the clubhouse something was up. At this time iPhones were just coming out, and we only had the LG phone with a sliding keyboard with a Canadian phone plan that didn’t really work in the U.S. Somehow a text came through from a friend that said, “congrats to Brett. You guys must be so proud”. Proud of what, we thought? What is he even talking about. There was another few missed calls from unusual numbers. Finally, we asked the pro shop if we could use the computer behind the desk. Sure enough, once I logged on I could see selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 192nd pick in the 2010 NHL draft was Brett Perlini! I proceed to call back my agent from the pro shop phone. What an amazing surprise! Two years earlier I was expected to get picked followed the whole two-day-long draft and was heartbroken. Now I’d almost forgot it was taking place, played a relaxed golf game with my family and end up getting picked! Such is hockey and life!

Still Showing Up

That was the turning point in my hockey career. I went into the next season with a ton of confidence, and you know how that goes! Ten goals by Christmas break, I was on fire. I finished my college career close to a point per game pace and was off to pro hockey. It didn’t work out with Anaheim the way I’d hoped: an NHL lockout and broken jaw my first year didn’t help. You certainly need a bit of luck and timing to make it all the way to the top, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved especially since coming to Europe. I’ve played seven world champions, four times in Pool A against Canada, United States, Sweden, and Russia, and that’s been special. That’s what drives me well into my thirties.

It’s a game of ups and downs. Staying even keel will give you your best chance, regardless of your current situation. Keep showing up!

(Game vs Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague)