The lowdown on Ty Rattie and Nic Petan

Mike Barrett

2014-11-16

TyRattie

Why keeper league owners need to keep an eye on Ty Rattie and Nic Petan…

In this weeks edition of The Journey, we will take a look at two-thirds of what was recently one of the best lines in Major Junior hockey, in former-Portland Winterhawks, Ty Rattie and Nic Petan.

The Delta, BC native has done nothing but churn out absurd point (333) and assist numbers throughout his WHL career, having made 152 passes that directly (depending how you feel about secondary assists) resulted in goals over the last two seasons. He can also put it in himself. The kid is a wizard with the puck.

Standing at just 5-9 173 lbs, size is obviously an issue for the Jets second rounder, though he has shown the willingness to compete and get his nose dirty when needed.

While his size can potentially lead to trouble at the next level (see below), his excellent vision and skating ability allow him to maneuver through traffic with the puck on a string, to do virtually whatever he pleases.

Petan shows superb patience in the offensive zone with the puck on his stick, comparable to Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. Once he has possession in the attacking zone; especially around the circles, Petan has unparalleled creativity to generate offense. He can start the play, or be the finisher too. For all Petan’s puck moving praise, he is equally adept at burying the puck himself, as evidenced by his 46 goal season in 2012-2013. It was the most important season of Petan’s young career up to that point. It was his chance to prove; like all the other undersized competitors before him, that size didn’t matter. That he had all the tools necessary to make sure the hockey world would know his name come draft day. Petan came through in spades, finishing the season with 120 points (46,74) in 71 games playing with the aforementioned Rattie in Portland. Last season Petan eclipsed the century mark again, scoring 113 points in 63 games and representing Team Canada at the World Junior Championships (7,4,1,5) where he performed quite well for a team that didn’t. Portland doesn’t have the same talent they once had, so the onus is on Petan to carry the load even more this year. Due to this lack of support, Petan has had a relatively slow start to the season for his standards, notching just two goals (15 assists) in 17 games so far. With the Winterhawks drowning in the standings, Petan very well may be traded to a contender over the holiday season. A move like this would be best for his development, as a final junior campaign capped off by a World Junior appearance and potential Memorial Cup appearance (or at the least a lengthy playoff run) add invaluable experience to a young players development. Going to a better team may allow Petan to focus on developing his all around game before turning pro next season, when it will be vital to see what he can do against grown men. Nicolas Petan could be an elite fantasy player in his prime, scoring 20-25 goals and 40-50 assists a year. Unfortunately, he was drafted by Winnipeg and they don't exactly have a deep stable of scoring wingers to insulate him. Petan could be in the Jets lineup as early as next season if he can impress management enough to stick. In that case I would predict a solid 35-point season and great development in the second half. If not, expect Petan to dominate the AHL and earn a spot in the top 12 over the season.   <iframe width="560″ height="315″ src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ruv103h6NCI" frameborder="0″ allowfullscreen>