Francis Perron has no problem with the obvious comparison.

In fact, he readily admits to an aspiration of becoming the Senators’ next Mike Hoffman.

“I’ve been watching him the last three years, and I think I could be the same type of player he is,” said Perron, a seventh-round pick (190th overall) of the Senators who has captained the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to a berth in the Memorial Cup. “He’s really smart with the puck, he has a great shot, he’s really good offensively. I really like the way he plays. So I think it’s the kind of guy I can look up to and maybe learn from him.”

We can build you up as the next Hoffman then?

“Yeah, you can, actually,” Perron said with a chuckle during the Tuesday afternoon phone conversation. “It’s a little bit of pressure, but I can take it.”

Apparently, he eats the stuff up with a spoon.

Pressure certainly brought out the best in the 20-year-old left winger this season. Entering the season, he knew he had to prove himself worthy of a contract or he’d be thrown back into the uncertainty of the NHL entry draft.

And he could not have responded any better.

Perron was second in QMJHL scoring with 108 points, leading the team to a 54-9-3-2 record while capturing the Michel Briere Trophy (which was won by Hoffman in 2009-10) as league MVP.

Next, Perron topped all playoff scorers with 33 points in 18 games as the Huskies cruised to their first President’s Cup in franchise history. For those efforts, he received the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the post-season MVP, becoming only the eighth player in league history — and first since Jonathan Drouin in 2012-13 — to pick up both major awards.

The last piece of hardware available to Perron is the Memorial Cup, which his team will compete for in Red Deer starting next weekend against the host Rebels, the London Knights and the Brandon Wheat Kings.

“The MVP trophy for the playoffs could go to our goalie,” said Perron, referring to 20-year old Chase Marchand, cousin of Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand. “He was pretty awesome all playoffs long.

“I was pretty happy to get it, but I’m so happy to win the President’s Cup, it’s just a little bonus for me.”

What turned Perron from a project into a legitimate prospect in the eyes of the Senators — and resulted in the team signing him to a three-year entry level deal midway through March — was the way he accepted a challenge laid at his feet last summer.

The Senators wanted him to be more consistent. They didn’t care how often he scored as much as when — in close games, against good teams, in even-strength situations.

Last season, Perron had 76 points and was minus-1. This season he was a plus-41.

“It was a big, big improvement for me and I was really happy about that,” he said.

The Senators also wanted Perron to improve his two-way game.

“We always knew he had the skill set, there was no issues about that,” said assistant GM Randy Lee. “But boy, is he a much more complete guy now. He’s more mature as a player, the way he handles himself around his teammates. He likes the pressure. He likes being the guy in the critical situations. He’s embraced that role.

“We kept telling him, you’ve got all the skill in the world but if you don’t complete your game and you’re not a more competitive guy, you don’t have a chance.

“He did listen and he really worked at his game. You see him now, when he moves his feet and when he’s hard on the back check … before that, there was a lot of circles in his game, there was a lot of selective effort, Now it’s a more consistent effort, and it’s at the more important times of a game.”

Like Hoffman, whom the Senators plucked out of the ‘Q’ in the fifth round, Perron has a slight build. A six-footer, he says he started the season at about 172 pounds but is now 165, the result of playing 30 minutes a game on many nights.

Perron, who’s projected to play in Binghamton next season, knows he has to get bigger and stronger. To that end, he’s vowing to stick to a nutrition plan this summer while diligently working with the same trainer he’s had the last five years, Marc-Andre Wilson, just outside of Montreal.

He’ll also make regular visits to Senators conditioning coach Chris Schwarz.

“It’s all about how he can battle, how he can handle himself,” said Lee. “Guys are going to target him, because he’s a top-end talent. We tell him, your game can’t be affected by guys going after you. When the competition level increases in playoff games, you can’t be less effective. You have to be as effective, you have to figure out how to adjust your game accordingly, and he’s done that. We’re really proud of him that he’s embraced it. He’s hard on himself now. He has high expectations for himself.”

Perron has high expectations for his current team, as well. He believes the Huskies can have a legitimate shot at the Memorial Cup, and he knows it will be up to him to lead the way.

“I’ve been playing with pressure all year long,” said Perron. “I’ve been dealing pretty good with the pressure since the beginning of the year. I can take that pressure. We’re used to it now.”