Petan seeks to put best foot forward

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This article was published 19/03/2016 (3541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Centre Nic Petan’s window might be limited in this go-round with the Winnipeg Jets but the 20-year-old rookie pro has a clear picture of what he needs to do.

Petan, who started the 2015-16 season with the Jets and played 14 games, was summoned back to the NHL team Thursday as an emergency recall and was on the ice Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks at the MTS Centre.

Given that a couple of the team’s injured forwards (Nikolaj Ehlers and Joel Armia) are now skating, Petan’s opportunity isn’t unlimited at the moment.

“You watch games throughout the year and learn things,” Petan said Friday. “From the beginning of the year, it’s all about working hard and I worked hard but it, obviously, wasn’t enough.

“It’s just getting more involved, that’s probably the biggest thing. As a smaller guy, you’ve got to get yourself into the game a bit quicker.”

Prior to Petan’s 15th NHL game, Jets head coach Paul Maurice said the to-do list isn’t complicated for most prospects.

“Play better,” was how Maurice started one train of thought.

“Just some quickness in all parts of the game. He’s got good hands, makes good offensive reads. We’re looking for him to be able to do that at an NHL pace and show a little development and maturity over a year’s pro (play), of when to apply some of those skills and make those plays.”

Petan, a second-round pick in 2013, had one goal in his first NHL taste. He has nine goals and 23 assists for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose this season.

“I’ve just focused on staying patient,” Petan said.

“Obviously, with the year down there, you’ve got to be patient. It’s something I was working for all year, working hard all year and I’m excited, like anybody would be excited, to come up. I’m excited for the opportunity (Friday).”

Petan’s transition to the pro game has had numerous layers.

He’s been used to being a high offensive producer in junior (358 points over five seasons in Portland of the WHL) and he’s been used to winning.

Not much of any of that this season.

“It’s a little bit different,” he said. “I’ve had lots of chats about it during the year. It’s a learning curve for sure. Winning a lot and then having this, sometimes it’s good to learn how to lose but, at the same time, it’s definitely not what I wanted the season to be like. Everybody wants to win and you have to find a way to do that.

“We do have a good team down there but we weren’t executing in the first half of the year. And with guys getting called up lately, it’s been tough. But I’ll take it as a learning curve.”

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On the topic of Jets injuries, there were updates Friday.

The team’s 2014 first-round pick, Ehlers, has missed eight games after his visor broke and cut him around the eye March 3. He was back on the ice with his teammates for Friday’s game-day skate, albeit in an orange non-contact jersey.

Defenceman Mark Stuart and forward Armia also had the same orange presence Friday.

“Ehlers probably goes through four pretty good skates and gets into contact for a few days, so it’s going to be another seven-day block but at the end of that, if he passed, then he’s good to go,” Maurice said.

Armia has been out since March 8 with a lower-body issue, while Stuart broke his hand Feb. 13 in Edmonton.

“Armia’s got to get through two or three days of good skates and then some banging so it’s closer to a week,” Maurice said. “And I would say the same for Stuart, more along the Ehlers line, where he’s got to get to a certain percentage of strength in his hand.”

Goalie Michael Hutchinson was ill at mid-week and is still recovering, so Ondrej Pavelec started again in goal for the Jets on Friday.

Winger Chris Thorburn took the morning skate off but was in Friday’s lineup.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca