<div align="center">Hello everyone and welcome to my 4th installment of Everybody’s Russian. Recently I have received criticism from a member of the league (actually was made into a general discussion thread) about people not caring about these media pieces. Well, I don’t really care what people read to be quite honest with you. These installments are a simple way I can give back to the players who stay dedicated to Russia and dedicated to the SHL to make this league what it is. So whether you choose to read this or not, that is up to you. Enjoy.

This installment is featuring Calgary Dragons rookie, former Vancouver Whaler and also my good friend Fernando Pergher.



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Need to Know

Pergher was born and raised in his native land of Brazil (that’s right a hockey player from Brazil, not a soccer player). Ultimately, Fernando had a choice as to which IHF team he would represent at the annual tournament. I’m sure many IHF Heads approached him, but at the end of the day – when all is said and done, Pergher chose to represent and play for Team Russia.
Fernando is a 6’2” , 206 pound Two-Way defenseman who will be entering in his first SHL season in S24 under a new Calgary Dragons management . Based off the his pre-season so far, it’s looking like Pergher will play on the 3rd Defense pairing for the Dragons. I’m sure this could change throughout the season, but for Pergher and the Dragons patience is what the young defender needs to become a household name in Calgary.


Player History (drafts, transactions, accomplishments)

Fernando was drafted by Vancouver 4th overall in the 1st round of the S22 SMJHL Entry Draft. He immediately made an impact for the Whalers as he finished his rookie season with 31 points and was awarded the Elias Armia Trophy. Fernando’s excellent rookie campaign projected him to be a top 5 prospect in the S23 SHL Entry Draft. When the Calgary Dragons went up to the podium at pick #4, Fernando heard his name be called by Dragons management. He knew from that moment he was the future of the Dragons D core moving forward. During the S23 off-season Calgary wasn’t looking like a playoff ready team, so they decided to send Pergher back to the juniors for further development. As a result, Fernando was named the assistant captain that season and he topped his point totals from his rookie season as he put up 47 points in his sophomore season with the Whalers. Fernando and Whalers reached the SMJHL Finals in S23 only to come just short to the Detroit Falcons. At the award show, Fernando was awarded the Quilha Agante Trophy for Top Defencseman. This season, Calgary is calling up Pergher to the show as they feel he is ready to start playing in the bigs. Fernando’s work ethics and determination make him a potential top 2 defenseman for the Dragons as they look forward to a very bright future in Calgary.


Player Build

Here is a look at the young prospects build so far

Strengths: Passing, Defense, Puck Handling
Weakness: Strength

Banked TPE: 8
CK = Checking: 80
FG = Fighting: 25
DI = Discipline: 70
SK = Skating: 85
ST = Strength: 70
EN = Endurance: 85
DU = Durability: 50
PH = Puck Handling: 85
FO = Face Offs: 50
PA = Passing: 85
SC = Scoring: 75
DF = Defense: 90
PS = Penalty Shot: 50

Now we can’t fault the young buck for not being as skillful or developed like defenseman such as Razin or Nikitin. However, Pergher is well on his way to being a great defender for many seasons to come for both the Motherland and Calgary. I’m sure Esa and the Dragons are just as excited as we are when it comes to the development of this young defenseman. Right away, my eyes are drawn to Fernando’s 90 defense. I know one day this will be 99, but he will soon improve that. The thing I like about Pergher’s build already is that there is an equal flow betweem skating, endurance, passing and puck handling. He even has the ability to check and though his strength is his weakness, he has already made time to address his game in that category. I like what Pergher has done here a lot and perhaps will see him be promoted to the top 4 in the depth chart.


Player Build – What Needs Improvement

Now I have taken into consideration that Pergher has yet to play an SHL game so far, so I won’t be too harsh on my good friend because we all know his lack of experience is why the build is not the strongest YET. I do emphasize the yet because I know it will be. The attributes I feel Pergher needs to further develop this season are puck handling, defense, passing and checking. I know it could be hard to focus on all, but these are the attributes I feel he should attend to next in order to become a difference maker and a impactful player on the blue line.


SHL and SMJHL Statistics

As I have said already, Pergher has yet to play a SHL regular season game but is expected to this season. Right now though, Pergher is averaging just about 16 minutes per game and has a total of 5 points in 16 pre-season games played thus far. For a rookie defenseman that is not bad at all. If he continues to put up those numbers in the SHL season he will finish with approximately 3 goals, 13 assist for a total of 16 points. Obviously these numbers don’t include his progression throughout the season, but you get the idea.
I’m not going to touch on his SMJHL stats as I already mentioned his totals in his Player History.


IHF Statistics

This past IHF tournament Fernando was averaging nearly 21 minutes a night and finished the round robin with 5 points in 10 games. He was 6th in Russian scoring and he contributed nightly with his stellar defensive play on the Russians blue line. Next tournament, Fernando will not be capped at 350 TPE and I’m sure will see a major improvement with his progression as we look ahead. It’s exciting to see such a great talent and Russia management is already thinking ahead on how we can utilize Pergher to the best of his abilities for the future.


<div align="center">Fernando Pergher Highlights


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