ROOKIE CAMP: Petrov learning English, loving new adventure

EDMONTON, AB - Matvey Petrov hasn't been speaking English for anything more than a year.
But if his first media availability is anything to judge from, the Russian forward already projects to be a great speaker of the language - let alone an exceptional hockey player.
The 2021 sixth-round pick is soaking in his first Oilers Rookie Camp this week, along with as much as he can about the English language and hockey in North America game from his teammates and coaches, in what has been an exciting introduction to his new NHL organization.
"It's very good for me," Petrov, speaking from the Oilers Hall of Fame Room on Sunday, said. "It's a new experience for me and I really love Canada and North America."
A first-overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft by the North Bay Battalion, Petrov would've had a bit of a head start on learning the language last season if it weren't for the cancellation of the 2020-21 OHL campaign due to the pandemic. The 18-year-old winger spent the last campaign in Russia's junior league, where he registered 22 goals and 42 points in 52 games with MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva.

Petrov, who turned 18 in March, took the nearly 13-hour flight to Toronto and spent a week in North Bay getting to know his coaches, some of his new teammates, and his billet family before jumping back on a plane across the country to Edmonton for the start of Rookie Camp on Sept. 15.
Since making his introduction to his new junior team, Petrov has kept in contact with his North Bay family on a daily basis for guidance and to learn more of the English language.
"Teammates and my billet family," Petrov said of who's been assisting his English-speaking skills. "Also my coach in North Bay. Every day, I call and get better."
The forward from Gus-Khrustalny, Russia, a three-and-a-half-hour drive east of Moscow, is already beginning to feel comfortable in his new country and new surroundings.

"North Bay for me will be a great experience," he said. "I love the county and city, [I have] a very good coach, billet family, and very good guys on the team."
For what Petrov couldn't communicate verbally in Sunday's media availability or on the ice to the coaches in the last five days of fitness testing and on-ice sessions, he makes up for it with a coachable attitude and potent offensive ability.
"I was quite impressed with his level of English," Bakersfield Condors Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "I was surprised at how well he communicated. He doesn't miss anything when we're giving instruction, and he's like a lot of the rest of the younger guys in their first pro camp - he's a sponge. A lot of it is new to him, but he's trying to get better every day."
To Woodcroft, Petrov's exciting toolkit came on display in Saturday's 4-3 comeback victory over Calgary for the Oilers Rookies, where the 6-foot-2, 181-pound right-shot played an important role on the power play with Ostap Safin and Henry Rybinski.

"I see someone who has some skill," Woodcroft said. "I thought he made a couple of plays, which was fun as a coach to watch… He looked dangerous at times. He has to learn the nuances of not only North American hockey, but also professional hockey. He's going into a good situation in North Bay."
Saturday's victory with his new Oilers organization was an incredible feeling - one that Petrov is excited to replicate on the road Monday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"A very good night," Petrov said. "I'm very happy because we won, and they were very good emotions for me.
"I think tomorrow, we win."