DEV CAMP: Petrov adapting to North American game

EDMONTON, AB - Matvey Petrov keeps learning to adapt, and it makes the Oilers prospect an intriguing name to keep an eye on in the future.

There's a lot to like when you see Petrov around Oilers Development Camp. The 20-year-old is on his third go around at the prospect showcase and has noticeably filled out his 6-foot-2 frame. He comes to Edmonton equipped with a wicked right-hand shot and some eye-popping numbers in the Ontario Hockey League in tow.

The 20-year-old is fresh off his second consecutive 90-plus point season with North Bay Battalion and he's been able to do it in different ways. In 2021-22, Petrov finished his OHL campaign with a tidy 40 goals, 50 assists, and 90 points - ranking ninth in the league in scoring and finishing four points behind eventual 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright and four points ahead of Development Camp teammate Tyler Tullio.

Petrov's 2022-23 encore was just as impressive. The Russian import notched "only" 27 goals last season but added a whopping 66 assists to finish third in the league in dishes. The change in style, Petrov says, came at the behest of Oilers brass.

"I would say I've just played a little bit of a different game," he said about being more of a facilitator than a scorer last year. "I talked to Edmonton about that before the season and kind of changed my game a little bit about [doing things] the right way."

The shift in style also helped out the Battalion, who finished the season first in the OHL's Central Division and second in the league with a 48-17-2 record. Petrov and his squad came within a single game from playing for the J. Ross Robertson Cup, losing to the Peterborough Petes in seven games in the OHL Conference Finals.

"I think we did pretty good, like two years in a row conference final," Petrov said. "It was pretty tough. Game seven at home, we lost against Peterborough. I give them credit, they're a good team, but I thought we were better."

Petrov has only been playing hockey in Canada for two years, but you wouldn't know it if you talk to him. He is confident, outgoing, and is markedly fluent in a language he only began speaking a little over two years ago.

"Probably every time you're asking me about that," Petrov laughed when asked by a media member when he started learning English. "I don't know, like two years ago when I got to Canada. I didn't know English language, so I'm kind of improving every day. Right now, it's kind of not bad."

Not bad is an understatement. The language barrier, which is really no longer a barrier, was just another aspect of the North American game Petrov has been able to adapt to. He had a bit of an advantage when it came to learning English. Petrov's North Bay billet is a teacher who would help him expand his vocabulary, and in return, he taught her a few words in Russian.

It was all a part of the junior hockey experience for Petrov, who will likely be plying his trade with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL next season as he looks to make the jump to the pro level.

Before that time comes, he will have to take in the rest of Oilers Development Camp which ends on Thursday. Petrov is fresh off a sensational performance in the Billy Moores Cup, helping Team Kurri win this year's trophy. However, the top highlight from Development Camp for Petrov may have come on Monday night when the prospects went out to The Quarry Golf Course and played a round. It was the first time Petrov has ever played the sport in a non-mini variety, but based on his ability to learn and adapt, it likely won't be his last.

"I actually liked that [playing golf]," he said. "I would probably go more than one time a year. So, yeah, I enjoyed yesterday."