The way Gabe Perreault scored his first career NHL goal didn’t surprise Mike Ayers. As Ayers, the associate head coach at Boston College, scrolled through X on Thursday night and caught up on highlights from former players, he watched Perreault veer toward the net on a power-play rush, position himself in front of Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington and redirect a shot from Will Cuylle.
Sure, it was a fortunate bounce off his skate for the Rangers, Ayers said. But Perreault did exactly what he was supposed to do given his current role — finding ways to produce just as he did for two seasons with the Eagles. “That’s the type of player he is,” Ayers said, “and obviously his head for the game is high-end so it’s good to see him get rewarded like that.”
In the short term, it served as the equalizer for the Rangers in their 2-1 overtime win.
But in the bigger picture of the 20-year-old’s career, it served as a milestone tally in Perreault’s ninth game since inking his entry-level deal in March. It also captured the type of goal that the Rangers have been searching for all season — a “great lesson for all of us,” coach Mike Sullivan said — as Perreault attempts to carve out a sustainable role after not making the roster out of training camp and piecing together a strong start with AHL Hartford.
“I was happy for Gabe,” Sullivan said Thursday. “I thought he played a good game. He made some plays. … Good things happen when you go to the net, and it was a good play all around.”
Perreault inched closer and closer to making the final roster — with four points in five preseason games anchoring the 2023 first-round pick’s case — in October before getting assigned to the Wolf Pack days before the regular season.
Gabe Perreault (94) is congratulated by teammates after scoring his first NHL goal during the second period against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Thursday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Then, 10 goals and 17 points across 20 Hartford games followed, with a brief three-game Rangers stint materializing in mid-November before his latest call-up Wednesday. He’s an unpredictable forward for goaltenders, Ayers said, and has “so many tools” and a “sneaky release” to propel his offensive game. At Boston College, that led to 35 goals and 108 points across two seasons.
With the Rangers, that led to five NHL games at the end of last season, getting thrown right into the chaos of a failed push for a playoff spot.
“You’re setting the bar, right?” Ayers said of Perreault’s cameo last season. “Like, you get a feel for that bar and that level, and then I think for most players the hardest part of playing that level is doing it consistently. You have guys that get called up often and they do well in a short period of time, but it’s the day-in, day-out grind of that week that can be really challenging. … So it’s always good to get a taste for the level you want to get to.”
This season, though, Perreault has received time to adjust. He could log top-line minutes with Hartford, and while there’s also an inherent benefit to the scenario he encountered in late March, “it’s a lot easier to take smaller steps than a giant step,” Ayers said.
So his call-up this week — when forwards Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelar were assigned to the Wolf Pack — served as another stride. The Rangers have shuttled their young forwards between Hartford and the NHL club in search of a spark, and that’ll likely continue until they find something that lasts.
Perreault skated on the third line alongside Noah Laba and Taylor Raddysh on Thursday, and he delivered on Sullivan’s call for the Rangers to crash the net more, create off shots and maximize broken plays.
Oskar Sundqvist of the St. Louis Blues pressures Gabe Perreault of the New York Rangers on December 18, 2025 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. NHLI via Getty Images
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It’ll take longer than one game and one goal for Perreault’s scoring instincts to translate to the Rangers, but it’s “just a matter of time,” Ayers said. The game will slow down like it did during his Eagles seasons. He’ll make plays look as simple as if he was playing on the “backyard pond.” He’ll execute in ways that are difficult for most players.
Then, moments like Thursday — the goal, the flash of potential, the net-front presence Sullivan hopes become a Rangers blueprint — will start to become normal for Perreault.
“Maybe it trickles down and more guys start doing it,” Ayers said. “You never know.”