Matvei Petrov’s position in this year’s countdown is six spots lower than last year’s. Almost none of that is Petrov’s fault, as since the transition to Jeff Jackson and his management group, the prospect group for the Edmonton Oilers has become noticeably stronger. As we enter the top ten of the countdown, it is shocking how much depth has been added to the Oilers group in such a short period time.

In addition to this fact, Petrov was a victim of a troublesome element to the Edmonton Oilers’ development history — the development of offensively gifted forwards who are not first-round players. Check the record. It is poor beyond belief. Petrov’s year with Bakersfield was a textbook illustration of what has occurred for years.

He was given bottom six minutes with limited skill players. He was often punished for mistakes borne of inexperience, not attitude. He was not provided opportunities to build confidence by playing legitimate powerplay minutes with skilled players and he also had the non-unique experience for Edmonton Oiler prospects of getting injured as a rookie in Bakersfield. As a result, Petrov, who had 67 goals in his last two seasons in the OHL, went 9-5—14 in 53 games. He wasn’t even able to approach his shots per game average of over three from his time in the OHL. In Bakersfield, he averaged 1.3 shots per game.

Do not get me wrong: the Edmonton Oilers legitimately drafted an excellent prospect. What the Oilers haven’t done is find the development key to unlock Petrov’s capabilities as a professional hockey player. It’s not as though Petrov didn’t provide glimpses of his ability to work with the Condors for the team. Petrov can shoot the puck. Take a look at three of the seven goals he scored this year.

This is an elite release that will beat NHL goalies from distance. It is a rare skill. The Condors and Petrov need to sort out ways to get Petrov more chances to let this shot go in the upcoming season.

I also think Petrov is a player who is far more responsible defensively than was his reputation coming out of junior. Take a look at a couple of clips here. The first one is a longer clip, but focus on how Petrov works to stay above the puck when the opposition has control or it being contested. When it goes low into his zone and reads that it will be a 1v2, he makes a nice support play to create a loose puck. Finally, watch him work underneath the puck carrier for his team to ensure there is an outlet for that player and also a F3 in the case of a turnover.

This is not fluke. This is learned behaviour and it comes from hard work. This is quality stuff from an offensively gifted player. Here is another clip of this same type of work by Petrov. In this case, it leads to an opportunity for the Condors to score, which they take advantage of. Notice how Petrov is below four Canucks players and he gets over top of the puck in a matter of 20 feet. He creates a turnover and the Condors are now on the attack. Petrov makes a great no look pass to the flank and the Condors score.

These plays were not in limited for Petrov. In fact, Petrov played very strong defensive hockey in the second half of the season.

Matvei Petrov fell in this year’s countdown. Almost none of that is his fault. However, he has the ability to climb up rankings in a hurry if Petrov and the Condors can create a plan of attack on how to unleash his offensive skills.