Petan vows to put himself back in the Jets’ picture

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This article was published 24/09/2016 (3350 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He broke camp with the big club last season, opening plenty of eyes while earning an opening-day roster spot.

Much has changed in the past year for Nic Petan.

His fast start fizzled out and Petan ended up playing the majority of his rookie campaign with the Manitoba Moose, which is where most pundits have him pencilled in this season. While he’s still a young and talented prospect, new additions such as Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic are stealing most of the “youth movement” spotlight these days.

‘I know what I can do. I’ve done it at every level. I’m just looking forward to get the opportunity at this level’– Jets’ prospect Nic Petan

Which leads to the obvious question: Has Petan, 21, already become yesterday’s news?

“I know what I can do. I’ve done it at every level. I’m just looking forward to getting the opportunity at this level. Training camp’s going to be a battle. I’m looking to take someone’s spot,” Petan told the Free Press Friday following on-ice testing to kick off training camp. “It’s just basically a no-friends kind of mentality at the camp. I know what I can do and how I can play, so I just gotta do that.”

The stark contrast was noticeable. While Connor attracted a huge media horde for his availability Friday, Petan was essentially an afterthought. That’s just fine for the former Western Hockey League star, who was selected 43rd overall by the Jets in the 2013 NHL Draft. He admits to enjoying the role of an underdog, something he’s battled much of his career due to his smaller stature.

Petan knows it’s not going to be easy. There are likely only a handful of forward spots available this year, with at least a dozen players having a legitimate shot. Those who are successful will likely find themselves rounding out the bottom six spots for the Jets, which is not a role Petan is used to playing.

“If you look at it, top six is maybe booked. But you just never know. You play hard, you play good, you score a few goals, you never know. But bottom six, I think everyone’s kind of fighting for a spot there. I’d be happy to play anywhere on this team,” said Petan.

At 5-9 and 179 pounds he’s not a prototypical third- or fourth-liner, but there’s no telling what head coach Paul Maurice will want to do with his lines. Perhaps he opts for more speed or skill, which Petan oozes every time he steps on the ice. He is also comfortable playing centre or the wing and can inject some life into a struggling power play.

“It’s always good to have everything in your game. I just want to specialize at what I do best, just making plays, playing a 200-foot game,” Petan said Friday.

He ended up playing 26 games for the Jets in his rookie year, with most coming in a late-season call-up once the team was out of playoff contention and riddled with injuries. He put up two goals and four assists in that time. With the Moose, Petan had nine goals and 23 assists in 47 games.

It was clearly an adjustment to the pro game for Petan, who scored 110 goals and added 248 assists in 252 junior games with the Portland Winterhawks. He believes his time with the Moose will help make him a better overall player.

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“When I was down you learn a lot. It’s definitely a different perspective down there, but you learn to be a pro. As I came up at the end of the year I had more confidence, was more comfortable playing a bit of a different role,” Petan said of his AHL experience.

He spent much of this past summer training in British Columbia, working on getting faster and stronger.

“I tried to lean out a little bit. I’ll always be quick, I don’t think I’ll ever lose my quickness. But I think speed is a little bit different than quickness, so I just tried to get a little bit faster and I think I did. I definitely got stronger. I definitely feel more comfortable and stronger on the puck,” he said.

“There’s lots of bodies fighting for a few spots. I think the battle starts now.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.