Here is my take, he is also one of my favorite prospects for the draft as well. I have only seen him play in person twice. In those 2 games, Lewiston has scored 4 goals. Picard scored all 4.
He is an offensive threat whenever he steps onto the ice. He has great hands around the net. If a rebound squirts loose, he'll react quicker than anyone else and the puck will be in the net. He isn't a big guy, but plays like a power forward, stands in front of the net screening on power plays, and likes to go wide and then power his way to the front of the net Jagr style when he has a D-man to beat.
I would describe his skating as above average. He has enough speed to get anywhere he wants to go as fast as most anyone else, but I would describe him as an awkward skater, he doesn't look as if he is skating as fluid as he is, he skates in a somewhat awkward crouched position...but the important part is that he has the speed it takes to beat Defenseman, and He is one of those guys that gets a burst of adrenaline and skates a lot harder when the puck is either in front of him or on his stick. Some people might say that is a negative, and that he should skate hard the whole time, but he does, he is just one of those guys that gets wide-eyed when the puck squirts loose and he is going to make sure he gets there first.
Some scouting reports describe him as a two-way player. I only halfway agree with this. He plays physical and certainly is not a defensive liability, but in 2 whole games I haven't seen him take one shift on the PK, He sees a lot of ice otherwise, so maybe that is his chance for a breather, but when a couple 16 year old kids are getting PK time over him on an average Q team, He sure isn't a future selke nominee.
He does however, play physically. And if I could describe Picard in one word it would be FEARLESS. He will put his body in all types of situations to try to put the puck in the net. He'll skate at full speed to get to a loose puck when he knows he will end up smashing into the post, and he takes whacks all night standing in front of the goalie on the PP, but like I said before he plays a lot bigger than his size and does what it takes to try to score, whether he takes a beating or not.
Now that we have all the praise out of the way, and I already mentioned he is one of my favorite players for this draft, Something still doesn't seem right about him. My eyes see a great player, but my brain wants to label him a potential bust, and I can't quite pinpoint why.
I can only think of 2 real negative things that I can think of. The first, which is pretty irrelevant is that he spends a lot of time talking to the refs, and I doubt they are his buddies from back home. Some might label him a whiner, and he may be one to draw more calls from refs because he won't keep his mouth shut. The other main negative alludes to something I mentioned before about him playing a power forward style game. This may not translate well into the pro game. I doubt we will see a 6'1, 185 kid playing the same style game he plays now when he hits the professional game, all of the sudden the defenseman are 6'5 instead of 5'11, and he isn't going to be able to power to the net the way he does against inferior Quebec League opponents. Only time will tell, but I still think he is a bit of a risky pick.
I think he is a real good pick anywhere in the teens, and could be a steal if he lasts at all into the bottom third of the first round.
Bottom line is I love the kid, I think he is a great prospect and wish him to have a very solid career. I may have a bad feeling about him somewhere deep down, but I like him enough to write this much about him, which is something I hardly ever do.
I hope at least some of this info helps
