Call-up just in the Nic of time

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This article was published 06/02/2018 (2793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Putting up zeroes in limited minutes through six games with the Winnipeg Jets to start the 2017-18 NHL season wasn’t what Nic Petan had in mind.

Neither was getting sent back to the American Hockey League.

Harbouring a rickety confidence level hasn’t generally been part of the guy’s makeup. Scoring goals and being a setup man has always been his thing, from the time he started playing as a kid in the Vancouver area, throughout a brilliant Western Hockey League career in Portland and in several long stints with the Manitoba Moose.

After cracking the Jets’ 23-man roster to start the season, Petan, 22, was demoted in late October after being held pointless in six games, despite opportunities on the power play. He had just six shots on goal and was a minus-two, while averaging just under nine minutes of ice time per game.

Now, the 5-9, 180-pound skilled centre is back with the big club, getting another look — and he made a great impression on his fifth shift of Tuesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes.

Showing glimpses of his AHL magic, Petan made a slick pass to Marko Dano, who faced an empty cage but dented the iron instead. Moments later, he redirected blue-liner Ben Chiarot’s point drive past Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta at 14:28 to lift the hosts to a 3-1 lead.

It was his first NHL tally since Nov. 15, 2016 — the only goal he scored last season with the Jets.

He also took a couple of silly tripping penalties, his second coming with just 6:45 left in the third period and the hosts clinging to a one-goal lead over Arizona. The Jets’ penalty killers bailed him out.

Petan had 13 shifts and played just over nine minutes, finishing a plus-two.

Injuries to the Jets forced Petan’s promotion, although his dynamic play with the Manitoba Moose has been difficult to ignore. A key piece on a winning hockey club, he had 12 goals and 29 helpers in 39 games, while playing a ton on the wing.

“Obviously excited to get called back up,” Petan said following the club’s morning skate Tuesday. “Confidence is such a big thing. Going down and re-evaulating my game, the numbers helped. But playing more always helps.”

The disappointment of being sent down definitely stung. It helped, he said, that Moose head coach Pascal Vincent clarified his role the moment he arrived.

“(Vincent said) you’re going to play a lot and get your confidence back, and I think that’s been a huge key and I think I’m on the right path right now,” Petan said. “… Probably a few weeks (to adjust). I settled in quite nicely, and I think my mindset was right going down.

“Starting fresh and re-evaluating really helps.”

Petan had to remain patient for his turn, tough at times when he was passed over while Moose teammates such as Kyle Connor, Brendan Lemieux and Jack Roslovic were recalled.

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“Just staying positive and knowing the right time’s the right time,” he said. “Healthy competition always helps, just have to make the most of it.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said no drastic alterations to Petan’s game are required in his time with the Jets, noting tidy defensive play is compulsory at both the AHL and NHL levels.

“Just play his game as it fits into the style of hockey that we play here,” Maurice said. “The really good part about this is that Pascal Vincent and his staff have done a great job of tailoring what we do here and making it viable in the AHL, so there’s no curve for these guys, no adjustments.

“He’s a good hockey player and one of the better (AHL) players, so he’s successful doing the right things. They don’t let him be casual about defence there, so there’s no mental change, really,” Maurice said. “He’s not going to try to create things here that we would all agree aren’t good plays and be allowed to do that in (the AHL). That’s not the way they play, and that’s why they’re successful.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @WFPJasonBell