Signing Petry Would Be A Great Move Towards The Future

Jeff Petry is without a doubt our best defense prospect as far as I'm concerned. I have long worried that he may end up pulling a Blake Wheeler and complete school and then become an UFA. So I am not sad to see him skip his Senior season if he is almost a lock to sign as it has been reported by some members of the media. Losing guys like Nash and Petry would be huge blows in terms of the Oilers rebuilding process.

Petry is our best defense prospect, and while he isn't a perfect defenseman, he has just about everything that you could ask of one. Speed, size, strength, a big shot, the ability to lug the puck up ice, and best of all, he's willing to sign with the lowly Oilers. The Oilers lacked a 1st round pick in '06 as they traded away that pick for Dwayne Roloson, but they got a 1st round talent in Petry.

Looking forward, a potential top 4 of Whitney-Gilbert and Smid-Petry will be a solid group in a few years time. Add in Chorney and Peckham as the bottom pairing, and while we have no superstar defenseman, we have 5 solid d-men that can move the puck and a human wrecking ball. Not too shabby going forward, especially if the lack of star power on the blueline is more than made up for up front.

Prior to the Oilers drafting Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, Jeff Petry was my #1 rated prospect, yes even over Jordan Eberle and yes even though he had a tough '08-09 season. While Eberle has since gone on to become a national hero again at the WJC's and is off to a gaudy start to his '09-10 AHL season, I still place Petry at or near that level of upside. Petry's biggest weakness is still his lateral movement, he really needs to work hard on that in the off season, if he can correct that flaw, there's a good chance that we'll see him on the Oilers next season. MPS, Eberle, Petry, and hopefully soon Hall or Seguin. It's nice to see some of the foundation for the future coming together before our eyes.

Petry, Still My #1 Ranked Oilers Prospect

His stats may not scream "look at this guy, he's a stud!", however playing on a horrible team can do that to a guys stats. 34gp. 2-10-12 30pim. -23 76sog is hardly anything to get pumped about in 95% of cases but the fact remains that he is the 5th highest scoring player on his team and is only 3 points out of 2nd place on his teams scoring list. He has twice as many points and goals as any other MSU d-man and is tied for 8th in team goals with 2.

Petry leads the Spartans with 10 assists. Petry has played in all 34 MSU games this season and has logged some serious minutes in doing so. He is a team worst -23 but that is to be expected when you are your teams top dman on an overwhelmed and over matched team. Now that we have the statistics out of the way, let's talk about what Jeff Petry brings to the table and why I think that his game will translate to the pro game so well.

1)Size and strength
Petry is listed at 6'3" and 200lbs. That is a good size for a blueliner and I have little doubt that as he gets into a pro training system he will bulk up to 215-220lbs. Even at 200lbs. he is a physical force at the NCAA level.

2)Speed
Petry moves very well for a big man and carries the puck like a gazelle up ice. His speed will also allow him to be able to join into the rush but also have the speed to retreat into the defensive zone most times. Similar to Lubomir Visnovsky and Joni Pitkanen in that regard, except he has a way to go in that area before he comes close to reaching their level of effectiveness in that area.

3)Passing ability
Petry is a superb passer and will no doubt end up one day on the Oilers PP if he is brought up through the organization. His ability to break out of the zone with his speed or a solid 1st pass
will make him a formidable opponent of opposing forecheckers.

4)Hard Slapper
Clocked at 95MPH 2 seasons ago, it isn't inconceivable to think that as he adds more strength and mass that he won't be hitting triple digits on the radar gun. He would be a great compliment to either Lubomir Visnovsky or Sheldon Souray on the point. A point man that can pass and hammer the puck is a luxury to have.

5)Newly found Physical play
Petry played with a little bit of an edge last year, this year he is much more able and willing to dish out punishment. In the last game that I saw him play, he had a murderous check behind the net and a heavy hip check that sent the opposing forward back to the bench hunched over. When you can combine size, speed, skill, and physical play you have the total physical package.

Areas to work on

1)He needs to get into a system where he is coached heavily to break him of some bad habits that are accumulated playing in the NCAA. The college game isn't nearly as system oriented as the AHL or NHL. When Petry learns how to pinch and lead the rush effectively at the pro level without costing his team, he will be a gem of a player.

2)Play with skilled players and get out of the toilet that is the MSU hockey program at the moment. Playing another year with younger players and leading the losing charge won't do anything for his development.

3)Add more mass, even at 210lbs. Petry would be a force at the AHL level and maybe even the NHL level. He has the frame for the extra size, the rest is up to him.

Why I Chose Petry #1

There has been a bit of a debate as to why a soon to be 21 year old that has yet to play in the pro game, and who is said to still be developing is worthy of the #1 ranking.

For one thing, when a player plays in an inferior league, they more than likely won't be at the top of their game right away. I compared Petry favorably to Tom Gilbert. Let's take a closer look...

Jeff Petry 6'3" 200lbs. shoots right DOB 12/9/87

2005-06 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL
Age by the end of the season 18
48gp. 1-14-15 68pim.

2006-07 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL
Age by the end of the season 19
55gp. 18-27-45 71pim.

2007-08 Michigan State University NCAA
Age by the end of the season 20
42gp. 3-21-24 28pim.


Tom Gilbert 6'3" 210lbs. shoots right DOB 1/10/83

2000-01 Chicago Steel USHL
Age by the end of the season 18
1gp. 0-0-0 0pim.

2001-02 Chicago Steel USHL
Age by the end of the season 19
57gp. 13-15-28 62pim.

2002-03 U. of Wisconsin
NCAA Age by the end of the season 20
39gp. 7-13-20 36pim.

2003-04 U. of Wisconsin
NCAA Age by the end of the season 21
39gp. 6-15-21 36pim.

2004-05 U. of Wisconsin
NCAA Age by the end of the season 22
41gp. 8-9-17 48pim.

2005-06 U. of Wisconsin
NCAA Age by the end of the season 23
41gp. 11-19-30 28pim.


Petry had more points in his Freshman season than Gilbert did in any year except his Senior season at Wisconsin. Petry also had far better USHL numbers, and their age difference is all of 1 month at the same time that they played in their respective seasons.

So who here wouldn't mind a more physical, faster, and harder shooting Tom Gilbert? Sounds like a pretty promising player in my books.

BBO's Top 20 Oilers Prospects, #1 D Jeff Petry

Jeff Petry is a 6'3" 200lb. defenseman that can skate very well up and down, can carry the puck well including being able to lead the rush, he makes effective and accurate passes, and he possesses a 95MPH slapper from the point.

From the games that I have seen of him, I would compare him to Tom Gilbert, except he is a faster straightaway skater with a better shot, and he plays more of a physical game. Needless to say, he is definitely a player that Oilers fans should be excited about in terms of being a potential NHL player.

Last year with the Michigan State Spartans of the NCAA, Petry had 24 points in 42 games. Not bad for a college freshman! However this season he will be relied upon more heavily in all aspects of the game.

A good personal goal for him would be to get his shot into the back of the net more often. There is no reason why a player with his caliber of shot can't score 7-10 goals this season (he scored only 3 last season), especially after his solid 18 goals in 55 games the season prior in the USHL.

Basically his main focus points to improve his game are...

1) Improve his lateral skating for better defending below the goal line and in front of the crease.

2) Improve his mass and strength. While he is already a strong player for the NCAA, he will need to get stronger to deal with the bigger and much stronger players at the AHL and especially the
NHL level.

3) Utilizing his point shot, with a 95MPH slap shot already, and hopefully with adding 10-20 more pounds of mass to his frame, this could be a guy shooting in the high 90's or even triple digits once he hits his physical prime. If he can better utilize his shot now, he could be that much more dangerous when that time comes. Outside of Sebastian Bisaillon, Jeff Petry has the hardest shot out of all of the Oiler's defensive prospects.

The Oilers can afford to be patient with Petry with their glut of young defensemen on the team and on the farm, however I would be very surprised to see Petry reach his Senior season at MSU. Depending on his season this year, and the Oilers defensive depth, he could even be in the Oilers plans for next season, whether it's in the NHL or AHL will be determined at that point.

However once he has the physical mass to play the pro game, he should be signed ASAP.