Portland Winterhawk Nic Petan managed to create some hype among hockey fans after he lead Team Canada through an exciting 2015 World Junior Championship. Petan finished the tournament with 11 points (4 goals and 7 assists) in seven games played, and even managed to score a hat trick against Slovakia, pushing Canada to a 5-1 semi-final win.
Nic Petan was never considered a household name. The young left winger has been sliding through the cracks of elite Junior hockey for awhile, and despite being drafted 43rd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013 NHL Draft, Petan was never seen as a top prospect. That is, until the 2014-2015 World Junior Championship came along. Right from the get-go, Petan proved to everyone that he was in a whole other league. Petan quickly tallied numerous points for Team Canada, which was a skill he carried throughout the competition. Despite the fact that he was placed on the third line, Petan played like a first liner, and arguably performed better than #1 prospect Connor McDavid.
So, down to the real question: Is Petan NHL-ready?
There is no doubt in my mind that leads me to believe Petan should not be playing for the Jets right now, but who am I to say? I just look at the facts, and base a solid opinion from them, which leads me to believe that Petan has a shot at making the Winnipeg Jets final roster next season.
After a World Junior performance such as this one, other NHL teams are drooling at any arising opportunity to snatch Nic Petan from the Winnipeg Jets. Expect see see a few offers involving Petan begin to roll in after this season.
The best part about Petan’s story is the fact that he performs just as well for the Portland Winterhawks. His career stats in the WHL are unbelievable, racking up a grand total of 302 points in 224 games played. This season alone, Petan has posted 33 points in 26 games; a remarkable 27 of those points are assists, which shows just how much of a play-maker Petan proves to be.
To make a long story short, Petan’s World Junior Championship performance has put him on the hockey map in terms of skill, agility, play making ability. Now we just have to cross our fingers and hope that the Winnipeg Jets decide to take advantage of his young talent by bringing him into the NHL next season. Now that would be something to see.
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