Is It Finally Owen Pickering’s Chance To Stick With Penguins?

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Is It Finally Owen Pickering’s Chance To Stick With Penguins?

Kelsey Surmaczfeatured
1dUpdated Jul 29, 2026, 02:33

Pickering, one of the Penguins’ best defensive prospects, still has a chance to be a long-term solution on Pittsburgh’s blue line

One point of emphasis from Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas after the team’s disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was that the Penguins were still giving up way too much when it comes to defense and goals against

So, just like he has to some degree in the past two summers, Dubas made a point this summer to focus on the blue line and give it a shake-up in an attempt to find some solutions. But, with the departure of left defensemen Ryan Shea in free agency and Parker Wotherspoon via trade for right blueliner Kaedan Korczak plus the free agent additions of Declan Carlile and veteran Trevor van Riemsdyk – the latter of whom is also right-handed, although he mans both side – things could certainly get complicated as far as the makeup of the Penguins’ defensive corps. 

The left side is certainly not quite as set in stone as the right may be, as Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Korczak are likely to occupy the three regular slots on the right, with van Riemsdyk and prospect Harrison Brunicke in the mix. On the left, it should, at least, be an interesting battle between Sam Girard, Carlile, van Riemsdyk, and Ilya Solovyov

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But don’t forget one other name, and that’s 6-foot-5, 206-pound prospect Owen Pickering. 

Pickering, 22, made his NHL debut early in the 2024-25 campaign, when he played in 25 games and put up a goal and three points to go along with a minus-5. He was sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) – Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate – in January of that season, and he played in just four NHL games at the beginning of the 2025-26 season before spending the rest of it in the AHL

For a moment in his first NHL stint, it looked as though Pickering was going to be a very solid compliment to a guy like Kris Letang, but he lost his footing a bit in the back half of that stint. Pickering struggled to find consistency for the next season-plus, and his lack of growth in that department was on display during his brief stay last season

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However, things may be different now. Pickering, a first-round pick (21st overall) in 2022, found that consistency in the stretch run of the AHL season and into the playoffs. His bad nights were fewer and farther between. His bad stretches, even more so

Unfortunately, an injury limited him to 11 games in WBS’s long postseason run, but he was a crucial part of it, playing shutdown hockey and also flashing his ability in transition and on breakouts. He contributed a goal and four points in those 11 games, and this followed up a regular season when he registered seven goals and 28 points in 68 games and was a plus-16. He played in big minutes and in all situations

With so much uncertainty surrounding the Penguins’ left side, it stands to reason that Pickering could lock down a spot with a standout camp. The development staff and the front office is impressed with the progress they have seen from him over the past year, and they only expect him to get better with even more consistency moving forward

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“I thought, for those that followed, Owen took a big step throughout the second half of the year,” Penguins’ assistant general manager and WBS general manager Jason Spezza said during development camp in early July. “There’s definitely still work to be done, but I think Owen is maturing into his game

“With young players, [people] always want to rush and make sure they’re up and ready. But, I think, especially with a big defenseman, having patience and allowing him to really mature into what he is… Owen will show us where he’s at after another healthy summer to train, and come training camp, we’ll have a good look at if he’s taken another step from where he was at. But it was encouraging to see his play in the back half of the season and in the playoffs.”

The Penguins could sure stand for Pickering to take a step next season, too. They have some other blueliners in their system, other than Pickering and Brunicke, who may push for spots at some point next season, including Finn Harding, Jake Livanavage, and, possibly, Tomas Galvas. But most of their defensive prospects are either farther out or simply do not have higher-ceiling potential

Even if Pickering’s ceiling isn’t quite as high as Brunicke’s, his development into a regular NHL defenseman would be no small thing for Pittsburgh. They need future help on the blue line, and Pickering still has a chance to be part of a contending future. 

And that could begin to take root as early as September if Pickering shows he belongs

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