Petan looking past growing pains

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This article was published 17/09/2017 (2917 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nic Petan takes responsibility for his lot in life with the Winnipeg Jets — to a point.

The 22-year-old forward from Delta, B.C., is heading into his third pro season, after a four-year stint with the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks that was nothing short of brilliant.

Petan’s time with the Jets organization can be characterized in less glowing terms and there’s no guarantee he’ll be with the big club when the Toronto Maples Leafs visit on Oct. 4 for the season-opener.

He played 54 times during the 2016-17 campaign, but netted just a goal and supplied 12 assists.

In 80 games over two seasons, he had three goals and 19 points playing limited minutes on the fourth line, supplemented with time on the club’s second power-play unit.

“Anyone’s going to go through a low point in their career and last year was (it) for me,” Petan said after a skate at the Iceplex.

“I played tons of games and it just wasn’t good enough, even for my liking and I’m sure not for the organization’s liking. So I just want to come back and bear down more.”

Petan averaged just under 11 minutes of ice time and finished as a club-worst minus-13.

In some respects, Petan’s production and worth has been difficult to gauge.

He was part of a trio with an ever-changing cast of characters, although most of the time he’d glance over and see the now-departed Chris Thorburn to his immediate right.

But there’s a solid argument to be made that he was afforded opportunities to cement his position on the club.

Petan doesn’t dispute a lacklustre campaign has left him fighting for work at a pivotal Jets training camp.

“It’s a combination of everything. Last year, I played fourth-line minutes, but also played the power play. I ended up with one goal but it should (have), could (have) been however many you want it to be,” he said.

“A couple of times it’s just being unlucky, a lot of times it’s just not bearing down and a couple the timing was off.”

But he said limited playing time and a lack of cohesiveness on an ever-changing line added to his frustration.

“My line changed a lot last year, from guys going in and out of the lineup and me going in and out of the lineup. From my wingers being (Drew) Stafford to Thorburn to (Andrew) Copp to (Brandon) Tanev… the key part is getting chemistry with whoever you’re going to play with. That’s the biggest thing in hockey — duos, trios — you gotta have chemistry to make good stuff happen on the ice,” he said.

“They know the fourth line’s not my role, but they continue to put me in that position, but also gave me a power-play position, which is a little different. Not many players have that in the league, so I was thankful in a way. But I also want to help the team more and I think playing in a different position will help me help the team more.”

The arrival of Matt Hendricks and presence of Andrew Copp with another year under his belt significantly hinders Petan’s opportunity to play up the middle on the fourth line.

He’s known for some time he’s being auditioned on the wing over the next few weeks. But who can he possibly unseat? Mathieu Perreault, Shawn Matthias and Kyle Connor would seem well ahead of Petan on the depth chart.

“Everyone knows the top six is the top six and you can’t really beat that. The numbers were great in everything, so you’re not even really looking at that. You’re looking at the bottom six and for me I’m looking at the third line. I (want to) push for a spot.,” he said.

“I (want to) steal a job and that’s my goal here.

“I gained a lot of confidence this summer, working on a lot of stuff — got a shooting coach — so a lot of things feel more comfortable now,” he said.

“I did a whole new set of off-ice training with a lot of movement stuff, tons of shooting, tons of release points that I needed to work on from last year, so I feel confident with my shot and wanna put more pucks in the net.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Petan’s best chance at making club is as a winger.

“At his size, the wing is an easier place for him to play right now. He can be a little bit like Mathieu Perreault. He can be a little bit more dynamic when you get him out on the wings. That’s why he starts there.”

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Training camp continues on Sunday, with on-ice sessions set for 9 a.m. and noon. The skates are open to the public.

Group 1 comprises most of the Jets returnees, with the additions of defenceman Tucker Poolman and Logan Stanley, as well as forwards Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.

Group 2 has a mix of Manitoba Moose regulars and some newcomers fighting for work, although Marko Dano and Ben Chiarot are also skating with them.

Maurice said nothing should be read into the fact two veterans are separated from the other Jets, adding he wanted to see a couple of specific combinations.

“It’s not a depth chart. I wanted Stanley to play with Dustin Byfuglien in camp, two big men. Buff can show him things. I wanted Poolman with Enstrom for the same reason,” he said.

“I wanted those pairs and I only wanted eight defenceman on the ice. So, you can tell I split mostly with a veteran group in the first, I wanted that for pace and for speed so we can drive it the way we want to.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca