Prospect Info: Owen Pickering, 21st Overall, 2022 NHL Draft

[Gumbercules]

Can't say that i've seen much of him, but a kid that just shot up to 6'4 in a short period of time and is figuring out how to use his frame but already has the offensive talent seems like a good risk to take. Seems like a good pick. Was 23rd on Bob's rankings, so seems like this is the consensus of where is value was.

The reality is that picks 20 on are around a 25-33% chance to be a top nine or top 4, so whoever we picked was probably going to be a scrub. The Pasternak and Kuznetsovs are rare occurrences.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

lol....Shero porn and f***ing boring

How do I view the Jake Guentzel draft thread to see whether you guys know your prospects?

I liked Jake as a pick, find it

 

[Ugene Magic]

Sully all smiles as he tells him "you'll never see the NHL kid".

 

[66-30-33]

So he's like Dumoulin's defense, with Matheson's transition game?

I'm tryin' real hard to go big on the optimism here, but when people are throwing out words like composure and poise, I instantly gotta think that means the dude's just another boring turd to the pile.

When you put it that way it doesn't sound that bad of a pick.

 

[Night Shift]

Shouldn’t have kept this pick, IMO.

Why? The prospect pool needs to be rebuilt. Starting with this kid.

 

[MayorofWBS]

Thrilled with this pick.

Pickering is not “boring.” He has a massive frame but is also one of the best-skating players - not defensemen - in the draft. His first pass is excellent and he makes the small plays - holding onto the puck for an extra second, finding the soft area for a pass, putting a puck into the goalie’s pads from the blueline - that generate chances at the NHL level. Just because he doesn’t attack the net from the blueline like Makar doesn’t mean he’s poor offensively. The other remarkable thing to be really excited about is he spurted up to 6’5” from like 5’7” in only two years, without losing his agility, and still has room to put on a huge amount of muscle - meaning a better shot, an absolute monster along the boards, and even better skating if he trains correctly. This guy can be Slavin, and not the “lite” version.

Patrick “Who” Bacon’s little chart can f*** right off. Swift Current has been terrible throughout Owen’s time there, and his offensive skills have still shone through.

Edit: I agree with the poster who brought up Seider. I don’t expect Pickering to be at that level as quickly, or even at all, but he absolutely has the potential to dominate games in an identical fashion.

Not only that, but just three years ago, when Pickering was drafted 177th in the WHL Bantam Draft by Swift Current, he was just 5’7”, 131 lbs. That's quite the growth spurt he's on.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

When you put it that way it doesn't sound that bad of a pick.

It doesn't, but that's absolute ceiling. We'll see what happens.

 

[dogthateats]

if you are bummed about this pick just remember we still have picks in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds tomorrow!

 

[66-30-33]

Thrilled with this pick.

Pickering is not “boring.” He has a massive frame but is also one of the best-skating players - not defensemen - in the draft. His first pass is excellent and he makes the small plays - holding onto the puck for an extra second, finding the soft area for a pass, putting a puck into the goalie’s pads from the blueline - that generate chances at the NHL level. Just because he doesn’t attack the net from the blueline like Makar doesn’t mean he’s poor offensively. The other remarkable thing to be really excited about is he spurted up to 6’5” from like 5’7” in only two years, without losing his agility, and still has room to put on a huge amount of muscle - meaning a better shot, an absolute monster along the boards, and even better skating if he trains correctly. This guy can be Slavin, and not the “lite” version.

Patrick “Who” Bacon’s little chart can f*** right off. Swift Current has been terrible throughout Owen’s time there, and his offensive skills have still shone through.

Edit: I agree with the poster who brought up Seider. I don’t expect Pickering to be at that level as quickly, or even at all, but he absolutely has the potential to dominate games in an identical fashion.

5'7 to 6'5 in a few years? damn, boys got some DOC in him.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Not only that, but just three years ago, when Pickering was drafted 177th in the WHL Bantam Draft by Swift Current, he was just 5’7”, 131 lbs. That's quite the growth spurt he's on.

Super raw. This is def a "take the guy for what he is in 10 years" typa pick.

 

[Jacob]

Is Swift Current expected to be better? Looks like a young group. Be nice if they could be at least a playoff team. These clips are mostly him defending. Looks like he wants to get up in the rush but there’s just not a lot of talent to get the puck out and into the O zone.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

I remember people bashing the Seider pick in Detroit

If Pickering wins the Calder I’ll Venmo you $500

 

[Pancakes]

6 foot 4 defenseman who can skate. I mean it'd be hard for that totally bust

 

[dogthateats]

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I think people don't realize how insanely hard it is to "put on muscle" as a hockey player. You're doing an insane amount of cardio pretty much every day for 8 or 9 months a year. It's very, very hard to add muscle when you're blasting through that many calories a day.

It's not impossible, but the kid's gonna have to put in a shitload of work. Petts has been a string bean trying to put on muscle for 4+ years now. There's also a line you have to navigate carefully as a trainer/player where a guy wanting to add size/muscle doesn't want to lose his edge in skating and agility.

 

[OnMyOwn]

Why? The prospect pool needs to be rebuilt. Starting with this kid.

Should have been used for help now, IMO. You signed Letang and are clearly not rebuilding right now.

It is what it is, but I just didn’t see a need to keep it. The cupboard does nothing for the last few years of Sid’s career.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Not only that, but just three years ago, when Pickering was drafted 177th in the WHL Bantam Draft by Swift Current, he was just 5’7”, 131 lbs. That's quite the growth spurt he's on.

sweet so in 3 years when he hits the big club at that rate hell be 7'4 320

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about the kid, but from what I am reading I kind of like the pick and sounds like he's developing a good size and skillset. Got to love the skating that he is praised upon

I think people don't realize how insanely hard it is to "put on muscle" as a hockey player. You're doing an insane amount of cardio pretty much every day for 8 or 9 months a year. It's very, very hard to add muscle when you're blasting through that many calories a day.

It's not impossible, but the kid's gonna have to put in a shitload of work. Petts has been a string bean trying to put on muscle for 4+ years now. There's also a line you have to navigate carefully as a trainer/player where a guy wanting to add size/muscle doesn't want to lose his edge in skating and agility.

Petts is gangly and an Ectomorph, hes not putting on muscle

 

[td_ice]

If Pickering wins the Calder I’ll Venmo you $500

I like him too, so make that $250 each.

 

[mrzeigler]

I’m excited about this pick. It’s not going to matter for another three or four years, so what’s the point in pouting because we picked a tall, good-skating Dman instead of some other guy I’ve never seen play?

Plus, Facebook memories reminded me a few days ago about my hot take on The Pens drafting some pipsqueak named Guentzel.

 

[dogthateats]

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Shut the f*** up, Yohe.

 

[Dominance]

6 foot 5 defenseman who can skate as well as any defenseman in the draft and has good hands. I mean it'd be hard for that to totally bust and there is incredible upside there.

FTFY

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Listen, there's no bad pick when your team has the unanimously considered worst prospect pool in the league. People are just riffing on their preference, is all. I don't see anyone really losing their mind with despair over the pick, but maybe I got 'em ignored. /shrug

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Sully all smiles as he tells him "you'll never see the NHL kid".

Truth

Listen, there's no bad pick when your team has the unanimously considered worst prospect pool in the league. People are just riffing on their preference, is all. I don't see anyone really losing their mind with despair over the pick, but maybe I got 'em ignored. /shrug

We're waiting on the 5yr extension to Rodrigues for 3.5m/yr.

 

[JTG]

I'm glad they added some size to the blueline. I would have personally liked a skilled winger, but it's not like this wasn't a need also.

See you in 5 years, young man.