Third in franchise points (257), assists (164) and fifth in games played (251), Francis Perron’s career numbers with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies place him among the team’s all-time greats.

There’s one thing that Jerome Tremblay, Mike Ribeiro, Yannick Tifu or Brent Aubin never brought to Rouyn-Noranda though: A championship.

Perron led the Huskies to their first President Cup title in the team’s 20-year history this past month, earning QMJHL Playoff MVP honours in the process.

Now 20-years-old, Perron was the sixth overall pick of the 2012 QMJHL Draft to Rouyn-Noranda. He’s been getting better and better ever since.

“It’s been a long journey,” said the Ottawa Senators prospect, who signed an entry-level deal with the club in March. “It was an adjustment when I first arrived in Rouyn-Noranda from Montreal. It is a small community, but the more you are there the more you love it. Everyone cares so much about us and there are a lot of very passionate hockey fans there. It’s a place I plan to visit in the summers once I have moved on.”

Perron isn’t done just yet. The Huskies hold a 1-1 record through two games at the MasterCard Memorial Cup with the captain tallying four assists.

“Coming in from day one, just to see the way he handled himself, the pressure he wanted to be put on his shoulders,” said Huskies assistant coach Jason Fortier. “He is a proud Husky and he said it time and time again that he loves this franchise, he loves this team and he wants to do something special in his last season.”

Perron did just that.

The 6’0″, 170Ib. winger helped break a 20-year silence in the city of just over 40,000, bringing the Huskies their first championship in a five-game series triumph over the Shawinigan Cataractes. He earned MVP honours in both the regular season and playoffs, finishing the year with 108 points (41-67–108) over 62 season contests and an additional 33 points (12-21–33) in 18 playoff games.

When compared to other Huskies greats in Mike Ribeiro, Brent Aubin, Jerome Tremblay or Yannick Tifu, he’s quick to steer the conversation.

“Those guys are all very talented players and I don’t compare myself to them,” Perron said humbly. “I’m satisfied with the way I improved every season and worked really hard to reach my goals. Most of all I learned how to be a Husky and it has really paid off.”

Perron’s team-first attitude and intelligence at and away from the rink has drawn appreciation from the coaching staff.

“He’s a privilege to watch and a privilege to coach,” Fortier continued. “He has an extremely high hockey IQ. Whenever we’re going over power play, penalty kill or other systems, he is the first guy to help the younger players understand what is being taught. He has a bright future in his future career.”

The Huskies enter an important game against the OHL champion London Knights tonight, a team that has played to a 2-0 record with wins over Red Deer and Brandon while outscoring them 15-3.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Perron laid things out pretty clearly in advance of the big game.

“The main thing for us right now is the work ethic,” he said. “Last game and even the first game we weren’t really sharp, winning our battles, paying the price on the PK for blocked shots. Those kind of things are going to hurt us in the long run.”

“We need to make sure that we come out tonight, work hard, and pay the price to win.”

Tonight’s game can be seen live on Sportsnet, TVA Sports 2 and NHL Network at 8:00pm MT/10:00pm ET.