The Winnipeg Jets recently assigned Nic Petan to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but Petan should not look at this as a step back. However, there is a chance that this could be considered a career crossroads for the 5’9 former junior sniper. Can Petan be effective at the NHL level as a scorer?
SMALL IN STATURE, HIGH IN OFFENCE
When Nic Petan was selected 43rd overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the scouting reports were all the same. Petan was and is a highly skilled offensive dynamo that lacks the size to be an effective NHL player.
There was a time when players below 5’10 could not be effective in the NHL, but as the league has changed, size has become less of an issue.
In Petan’s draft year, he scored an astounding 120 points in 71 games for the powerhouse Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. He finished out his junior career with two more incredibly productive seasons before turning pro.
Petan split his first professional season between the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and the Jets. He scored an impressive 32 points in 47 games in the AHL and only six points in 24 NHL games.
This past season, Petan believed he solidified himself as an NHL player playing in 54 games with the big club where he produced a respectable 13 points. The problem is, only one of those points was a goal.
WHY THE AHL IS A GOOD PLACE FOR NIC PETAN
Nic Petan has proved he can keep up in the NHL, but he can’t be effective if he is playing fourth line minutes.
Going down to play for the Moose will allow Petan to rediscover his offensive abilities and gain his confidence. Immediately, Petan becomes the star player for the Manitoba Moose.
(Seriously, Buddy Robinson is leading the team in points. Petan is much better.)
A lot of NHL clubs have implemented a similar plan for development amongst their budding offensive stars. The Senators let Jason Spezza figure out his game in the minors. The Oilers even marinated Leon Draisaitl in the AHL for a short period of time.
STILL AN UPHILL ROAD
Nic Petan may have 86 games of NHL experience under his belt, but he is no sure thing to become a surefire NHLer.
A lot of players that have offensive success in junior can’t put it together in the NHL. Those players end up going overseas to become stars in the KHL, SHL etc.
Players like Pavel Brendl, Rob Schremp, Simon Gamache and Nigel Dawes to name a few, are good examples of players that tore it up in the junior leagues, only to falter in the big leagues.
Those particular players were criticized for their lack of a two-way game. Luckily for the Jets, Petan pays attention to both sides of the ice.
It’s an uphill road, but Nic Petan may just take a little longer to become a legitimate scorer in the NHL. Let’s let him light up the AHL with the Moose for now and see where that takes him.