Blue Chip: Revere’s James Perullo Has Been a Stalwart Defenseman for Babson College

Revere resident James Perullo has been a standout on the ice from the very beginning, his talents noteworthy as far back as the Mites division.

His superlative hockey career has taken him across the nation and on to an elite prep school and one of the finest business colleges in the nation.

After graduating from the prestigious Belmont Hill School where he played four varsity seasons, Perullo became a four-year defenseman for Babson College, where he is hoping to lead the team to an NCAA Division 3 Tournament berth.

An Early Passion for the Sport

“I started in the Learn-to-Skate at Hockeytown at the age of 3, and I played my first year of Mites for my father’s team in Everett,” recalled Perullo. His father, Charlie Perullo, is a former Revere High School hockey player.

He excelled in the Cal Ripken League at St. Mary’s Griswold Park, where he was a left-handed home run hitter. But hockey won out, though he played baseball at Belmont Hill.

In the third grade, Perullo began skating for the Middlesex Islanders, a regional select team based at Merrimack College. He moved on to the equally competitive Boston Junior Eagles and skated with the team through high school, playing in 80 games each season and in tournaments on a national schedule.

“The coach at the Junior Eagles at the time was Ken Hughes, who is now the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens,” said Perullo. “He was a huge part of basically everything I know about hockey today.”

A Four-Year Letter Player at Belmont Hill

 After attending the Whelan School and the Lincoln School (where his mother, Joanne, was a teacher’s aide), Perullo entered Belmont Hill in the eighth grade.

He skated with the varsity at Belmont Hill as a freshman and became a top-shelf defenseman as a sophomore for a NEPSAC Tournament Elite Eight qualifier.

“Paul Mara [a former Boston Bruins player and current Boston Pride head coach] became an assistant coach and helped out the defense-men, and he was great for me,” said Perullo. “He was really supportive all year round.”

Perullo was elected a captain of the Belmont Hill team as a senior. He was selected to the All-Independent School League (ISL) team after twice receiving All-ISL Honorable Mention recognition.

Success at Babson

During his senior year at Belmont Hill, he began applying to MASCAC schools and chose Babson College over Amherst College for his NCAA hockey destination. He has been a major contributor to the Babson program.

“It’s an absolute winning culture at Babson,” said Perullo, whose freshman season was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that ultimately canceled Babson’s 2020

NCAA Tournament bid.

In his Perullo’s junior season, Babson claimed the New England Hockey Conference title in and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

This season, Perullo is hoping to lead Babson back to the NCAA Tournament. “I think we’ll start to hit our stride after the break,” said Perullo, who is on the first defensive tandem.

Perullo is studying Finance and Economics at Babson. He said one of the challenges has been balancing a rigorous academic schedule with college athletics.

“Being at Belmont Hill definitely helped me transition to Babson,” said Perullo. “Belmont Hill is really great academically as well, so being able to deal with that during high school has helped me a lot in college.”

He offered praise for Babson College head coach Jamie Rice.

“He’s the definition of Babson hockey,” credited Perullo. “He shows up to the rink every day and works hard. He puts in a lot of time for us. He’s an unbelievable coach.”

 Perullo said he is grateful to his parents, who have supported him every step of his hockey career, including his four seasons at Babson. “They come to every game they can,” said Perullo.

Praise from Babson Head Coach Jamie Rice

“James has been an integral and impactful part of our program since his arrival on campus four years ago,” said Babson Coach Jamie Rice.  “He is a very gifted offensive defenseman and is a player we rely on in every key situation.  His competitiveness and tremendous skating ability has allowed him to flourish as a player here.  His skills have positively impacted many games during his career, especially on the power play.  I consider myself and our program very fortunate to have him here as a young man and as a player.”