Owen Pickering
{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 2004)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox ice hockey biography
| name = Owen Pickering
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2004|1|27}}
| birth_place = St. Adolphe, Manitoba, Canada
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lbs = 200
| position = Defence
| shoots = Left
| league = NHL
| team = Pittsburgh Penguins
| prospect_league = AHL
| prospect_team = WBS Penguins
| draft = 21st overall
| draft_year = 2022
| draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins
| career_start = 2023
}}
Owen Pickering (born January 27, 2004) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pickering was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, by the Penguins in the 2022 NHL entry draft.{{cite web |title=Get to Know: Owen Pickering |url= https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/get-to-know-owen-pickering/c-334908986 |publisher=Pittsburgh Penguins |website=NHL |date= July 10, 2022}}{{cite magazine |title=Penguins Sign First-Round Pick Owen Pickering to Entry-Level Contract |url= https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-sign-owen-pickering-entry-level-contract |magazine= Sports Illustrated |date= July 16, 2022}}
Playing career
The Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League selected Pickering in the ninth round, 177th overall, in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.{{Cite web |title=2019 WHL Bantam Draft |url=https://chl.ca/whl-hurricanes/draft/whl/2019/Swift+Current/ |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=Lethbridge Hurricanes}}{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2020 |title=2019 Bantam Draft Review |url=https://chl.ca/whl-broncos/2019-bantam-draft-review/ |website=Swift Current Broncos}}
On July 16, 2022, Pickering was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Pittsburgh Penguins.{{cite web| url = https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-sign-owen-pickering-to-a-three-year-entry-level-contract/c-335010264 | title = Penguins sign Owen Pickering to a three-year, entry-level contract | publisher = Pittsburgh Penguins | date = July 16, 2022 | accessdate = July 16, 2022}} On October 14, 2022, he was named captain of the Broncos.{{Cite web |date=October 14, 2022 |title=Owen Pickering named Broncos captain; leadership group announced |url=https://chl.ca/whl-broncos/article/owen-pickering-named-broncos-captain-leadership-group-announced/ |access-date= |website=Swift Current Broncos}} Pickering was named to the WHL Central Division All-Star First Team for the 2022–23 WHL season.{{Cite web |last=Wahl |first=Chris |date=March 28, 2023 |title=WHL names 2022–23 Central Division First All-Star Team |url=https://chl.ca/whl/whl-names-2022-23-central-division-first-all-star-team/ |website=Western Hockey League}} On March 30, 2023, Pittsburgh reassigned Pickering to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.{{Cite web |date=March 30, 2023 |title=Owen Pickering assigned to AHL Wilkes/Barre-Scranton |url=https://chl.ca/whl-broncos/owen-pickering-assigned-to-ahl-wilkesbarre-scranton/ |website=Swift Current Broncos}} He made his AHL debut on March 31, 2023, in a 4–2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.{{Cite web |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Pro Debut: Owen Pickering |url=https://chl.ca/whl-broncos/pro-debut-owen-pickering/ |website=Swift Current Broncos}}
On October 10, 2023, Pickering was returned to the Broncos for the 2023–24 WHL season.{{Cite web |title=Owen Pickering Transactions |url=https://puckpedia.com/player/owen-pickering/transactions |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=Puckpedia}} Pickering was again named to the WHL Central Division All-Star First Team in 2023–24.{{Cite web |last=Rocca |first=Taylor |date=March 26, 2024 |title=WHL names 2023–24 Central Division First All-Star Team |url=https://chl.ca/whl/article/whl-names-2023-24-central-division-first-all-star-team/ |website=Western Hockey League}}
On November 16, 2024, with Ryan Graves out as a healthy scratch, Pickering was called up to make his NHL debut during the 2024–25 season against the San Jose Sharks.{{cite news |last=Vensel |first=Matt |title=Owen Pickering makes NHL debut as Penguins eke out shootout win over Sharks |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2024/11/16/owen-pickering-nhl-debut-sharks-vasily-ponomarev-ryan-graves/stories/202411160028 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=November 16, 2024 |access-date=November 17, 2024}} Playing on the third defensive pairing, Pickering recorded an assist on Jesse Puljujärvi's goal for his first NHL point.{{cite news |last=Rorabaugh |first=Seth |title=Penguins get younger with rookies Owen Pickering, Vasily Ponomarev, Sam Poulin |url=https://triblive.com/sports/penguins-get-younger-with-rookies-owen-pickering-vasily-ponomarev-sam-poulin/ |work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |date=November 17, 2024 |access-date=November 17, 2024}} Pickering scored his first career NHL goal on December 3, in a 5–4 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers.{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/florida-panthers-pittsburgh-penguins-game-recap-december-3 |title=Penguins recover, defeat Panthers in OT for 4th win in row |website=NHL.com |date=December 3, 2024 |access-date=December 4, 2024}} He played a total of 25 games with Pittsburgh before being assigned back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 15, 2025. Pickering finished the 2024–25 AHL season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, totaling 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 47 games.{{Cite web |title=Owen Pickering |url=https://theahl.com/stats/player/9673 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=TheAHL.com}} The Penguins were eliminated 2–0 from the first round of the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a best-of-three series.{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2025 |title=Grans finale! Late Phantoms goal knocks out Penguins |url=https://theahl.com/news/grans-finale-late-phantoms-goal-knocks-out-penguins |website=TheAHL.com}} Pickering played both games in the series, but did not tally any points.
International play
Personal life
Alongside hockey, Pickering played baseball, volleyball, and basketball, growing up. He started playing the violin when he was six.
Prior to being drafted, his favourite NHL team was the Winnipeg Jets and he named Miro Heiskanen as his favourite NHL player.
Pickering and Denton Mateychuk are second cousins, and were both selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL entry draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2022/07/06/family-affair-for-manitoba-prospects |title=Family affair for Manitoba prospects |publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |first=Mike |last=Sawatzky |date=July 6, 2022 |access-date=July 13, 2022}} His younger sister, Avery, has represented Canada at the IIHF World Women's U18 Championship.{{cite web |last1=Brickman |first1=Kate |title=Pickerings make U18 worlds a family affair |url=https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/pickerings-u18-family-affair-2023-u18wwc#:~:text=Owen%20and%20Avery%20Pickering%20have,other's%20biggest%20competitor%20and%20supporter. |website=hockeycanada.ca |publisher=Hockey Canada |access-date=January 6, 2024 |date=January 10, 2023}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em;" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="101" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="101" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 2020–21
| WHL | 23 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2021–22 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 62 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 39
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23
| Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 61 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 30
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2022–23 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24
| Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 59 | 7 | 39 | 46 | 35
| 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2024–25 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 47 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024–25
| NHL | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" |NHL totals ! 25 !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 6 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em;" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM | ||||
| 2022
| Canada | U18 | 5th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4"|Junior totals ! 4 !! 0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 0 |
Awards and honours
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Award !Year !Ref |
| ALIGN="center"
| colspan="2" |WHL | |
| Central Division First All-Star Team
|2023 |
| Central Division First All-Star Team
|2024 |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box | before = Sam Poulin | title = Pittsburgh Penguins first round draft pick | years = 2022 | after = Brayden Yager}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Owen}}
Category:Ice hockey people from Manitoba
Category:People from Winnipeg Capital Region
Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Category:NHL first-round draft picks
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players
Category:Swift Current Broncos players