WARNING: This is not going to be your standard fare draft review.
I confess. When I saw the Penguins had selected defenseman Owen Pickering of Swift Current with their first-round pick my initial thought was, ”Oh no (Eddie Spaghetti)…just what we need…another beanpole defenseman.” After all, the 18-year-old goes 6’4” and tips the scales at 178 pounds. Marcus Pettersson dimensions.
Toss in willowy prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph? We seem to be cornering the market on rearguards boasting Ichabod Crane physiques.
When I watched Edmonton select Reid Schaefer, a physically mature 6’3” 213-pound power forward with the 32nd pick, the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” popped into my head. Specifically Dorothy’s refrain of “Why, oh why, can’t I?” transmuted into “Why, oh why, can’t we” (ever draft one of those guys).
Truth be told, I thought for sure we’d take Isaac Howard, a fast, gritty, opportunistic left wing out of the U.S. National Development Team who’d been likened to Jake Guentzel. At 5’10” and 182 pounds, Howard definitely sounded like a Mike Sullivan-type player.
However, it would appear Hextall is trying to put his stamp on the team. And Pickering might be the first significant step in that direction. Corey Pronman of The Athletic touted Pickering as fitting the mold of “a Ron Hextall first-round pick,” comparing him favorably to the Flyers’ Travis Sanheim.
For the record Sanheim is big, not especially physical, and a reasonably accomplished all-around second-pairing defenseman. Which, judging by scouting reports, is what Pickering one day projects to be.
From what I can glean, the kid uses his long stick and reach to defend effectively a la Pettersson. He’s mobile and a good skater if a bit coltish, the result of having sprouted several inches in height in a relatively brief span of time. Similar to present Pen Drew O’Connor.
The offensive side of his game is emerging, as witnessed by his nine goals and 33 points in 62 games for a weak Broncos team. He’s shown a penchant for jumping into the play and has a decent shot and release.
Here’s what Steven Ellis of The Hockey News had to say about Pickering:
At the CHL Top Prospects Game, he was one of the better moving defensemen overall, and he used his speed and mobility to blast by opponents at the U-18 World Hockey Championship as one of Canada’s biggest bright spots in an otherwise tough tournament for Canada. Pickering finished the WHL season with 33 points in 62 games — a very respectable number for a team that missed the playoffs altogether. Playing on a poor team as a draft prospect can have its benefits, though, and Pickering played 25 minutes a night as an 18-year-old. He rarely had off nights as a whole, and when his team needed him to step up at both ends of the ice, he did.
Pickering was more of a shutdown defender in his pre-WHL draft days, but he has started to get more comfortable with his offensive game and should take a nice step forward next season. While it’s still fair to label Pickering a project player — his overall game needs some ironing out still — he’s strong defensively, continues to get better on the rush, has good footwork and his decision-making in the offensive zone has gotten much better.
Just wish the kid had more meat on his bones.
Sounds like he does, too.
“The thing I would like to work on is physical strength,” Pickering said. “I feel like that’s … the natural path for me, just kind of filling out.”
Guess I’ll mollify myself with the thought that baseball great Ted Williams was 6’3” and 148 pounds when he first arrived in the major leagues. So skinny he was nicknamed the “Splendid Splinter.” Williams matured into a powerful man and arguably the greatest hitter of all-time.
From a hockey standpoint, Chris Pronger (who Pickering resembles on ice) was none too burly when he came up. He, too, filled out and became a Hall-of-Fame defenseman, noted equally for his ability and nastiness.
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Hey Rick,
You beat me to the punch, so I guess I will just on load on you rather than in my own article,.
First off; There were only 4 players that I didn't want the Penguins to waste their 1st round pick on, Brad Lambert, Frank Nazar, Isaac Howard, and (theme from jaws) Owen Pickering.
They say the kid has good mobility, forward speed, and acceleration, as such you would think that he was excellent at exiting the defensive zone and entering the offensive zone. In fact, Austin Stanovich of the Hockey Writers called him a one-man breakout. The problem is Pickering is lazy and given to panic. Our newest Penguin just glides into the attacking zone, slowing the attack down. As he slows down opponents jump him and he coughs up the puck with regularity often in dangerous areas.
Also, Pickering's crossovers are awkward, and he takes long slow turns, so he changes direction very slowly. Matthew Souma of SMAHT scouting likened him to a "giraffe with legs" during his turns. Furthermore, he has problems skating backward. If you ask, "so what?" He is a defenseman, skating backwards isn't a luxury for him, it is a necessity.
On the plus side, he does have a decent shot, excellent compared to what masquerades as defenseman now. And if all you do is look at his high light reels you will see some nice passes and even tape-to-tap home-run passes but those are the highlights. Watch game films of his shifts and you see a serious defensive liability.
* He is soft on the puck - probably due to his lack of size/muscle. I never saw him win a puck battle on the boards.
* Opponents camped out in front of his Goalie and not just because he lacked the umph to move them from in front of the net but because he was never there. He chased the puck around the perimeter like a 6 year old.
* He was almost always the first player out of his defensive zone in the game films I watched and I am talking about first one out even when he doesn't have the puck.
* He joined the forwards crashing the net, whether or not there was an opening and then overstayed when nothing developed, hanging out by the low post on several occasions while his forwards battled for a loose puck on the opposite side of the ice. Often times he was caught up with forwards having to cover his vacated position or leaving D partners alone on odd man breaks.
As I said, there was a reason why he was a -27 and it wasn't poor goaltending. His Goalies were forced to make highlight reel saves of their own, thanks to Pickering.
At the beginning of last season, Pickering was rated a 2nd or 3rd round choice and that is what he is. If GMRH had wheeled and deal ed to net a 2nd or 3rd round pick and picked Pickering with it, I wouldn't be upset. That is where you take iffy projects; not with a 1st round pick.
Our Penguins haven't had a 1st round pick since 2019 and only 2 in recent memory, this was a waste of that rare pick. Perhaps the lack of having 1st round picks has caused us serious brain atrophy.
*
Hey Other Rick,
I only watched a highlight video of some of Pickering's goals and haven't studied him to the extent you have. But based on your comments and observations...yikes!!!
I don't know what it is about the Penguins. Instead of going for a complete, physically mature player, we always seem to go after niche guys or "projects." One of the higher ups must have a large investment in a milkshake company, because that's what it's going to take to put weight on some of these guys.
I hate to draw comparisons to the Pirates, but it reminds me of the Bucs signing Ke'Bryan Hayes to a big contract and making him their marquee player. Yes, he's a great fielder. But also he's a banjo-hitter filling a corner infield slot...a position that begs for some thump.
Only in the 'Burgh...
Rick
Hey Rick,
I don't get it either, rather than learn from past failures, it seems Pens management would rather double down on failed strategies in the hopes that they will somehow yield different results, hoping that this time will be an outlier. The average player the current Stanley Cup Champion put on the ice weighed just a hair under 200lbs, the average player the Penguins actually let see ice-time bare tipped the scales at 190 and yet the heavier Avs team could skate rings around our Pens, even though they were approaching 10lbs heavier. So what did we do, we drafted a 6'-4", 179lb stalk of wheat to blow in the wind.
As I wrote, if we used a 2nd or 3rd round pick on him, I wouldn't be so negative. That is where he really should have been drafted. I can't remember which report I read that basically said that most of the hoopla that encouraged some scouts and then our Penguins came from the Coach of the WJC-18 who raved about the kid after he picked up 2 points in the 4 games he played for him, hardly a suitable sample size to jump a kid to a 1st round pick.
But you are right, our Penguins don't seem inclined to look at the most logical pick but prefer to think they are smarter than everyone else and will find a diamond in the ruff where no one else looked. In the end they have simply outsmarted themselves.
And unless there is a change in the Penguins' minor league/development, then Pickering will go the same way as Pouliot. I have no faith in our farm system right now. It seems that all the way down through at least WBS our team doesn't feel like it has to teach players, just win games. Furthermore, with the lack of size on POJ and Pettersson, I don't have much faith in their strength and conditioning programs either.
Hopefully, the FSG will look throughout the organization and fix the off-ice failings.
Hey Rick,
I forgot one other big negative - Pickering wilts under a heavy fore-check; he panics and blindly throws the puck away.
Again, if we waited until the second or third round, maybe take a chance on this kid, but not a 1st round pick.
Rick
Pickering is definitely a projection pick for 2 or 3 years down the road. I'm
not sure why they passed on several players that IMO could contribute
almost immediately.
Also, It's early in the draft but I was hoping Hextall would be more active
making trades and acquiring picks.
GO PENS
Hey Mike,
Hextall's MO is to develop prospects slowly and deliberately over time. With very few exceptions, nearly all of the players he drafted in Philly spent at least some time honing their skills in Lehigh Valley.
Sounds like Pickering will be no exception in terms of his development. Given Other Rick's less than glowing review, it could be quite some time before the kid makes an appearance at PPG Paints Arena.
I share your frustration over not getting someone who perhaps could contribute sooner. And a more physically mature player.
Rick
Rick
What's really mind boggling is you sign Letang and still trying to lock up Malkin and yet you draft a player that
can't help us until they retire? Unless I'm missing something this makes zero sense. I could understand this
pick if we were in an overall re-building mode. So, here's how I see the Pen's - bring back Letang and Malkin
and no chance to be a contender and then start the rebuild when they're gone. We're in for a long 4 or 5 years
and this could of easily been avoided. GO PENS