Pickering will be an NHLer, at the bare minimum. The 2022 first-rounder split time between the NHL and AHL this year and held his own in both leagues. After scoring only one point in his first 12 AHL games, the Penguins called up Pickering, where he spent the next 25 games in the NHL. While he scored only three points, there were many flashes of his skill in his sheltered minutes. His skating has improved significantly, and he has grown into his body. Even at 200lbs, Pickering could still add on another 15 to 20lbs of muscle to his frame and not have it impact him negatively as it would for other shorter players. What is most impressive about Pickering’s season was that after his 25-game stint in the NHL, he went back to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and produced 12 of his 13 points in the final 35 games. He also finished the season leading the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in plus/minus, a sign of his mature play without the puck. It would not be shocking if the Penguins kept him in the AHL next year so he can continue to grow into his frame and unlock his offense at the professional level. It should be noted that the NHL is also a development league in certain regards, and a steeper curve could be what the Penguins want to test Pickering with. All in all, Pickering is the most exciting defensive prospect in the Penguins’ system and could prove to be a long-term top-four defenseman who pitches in on the powerplay.

Pickering had a solid draft-plus-one season where he improved upon the tools that made him a first-round pick in 2022. He increased his point output in the WHL and made his AHL debut at the end of the year. Pickering is still a raw prospect who shows flashes of offensive upside while having a very sound all-around game. Pickering excels at passing the puck and orchestrating breakouts. He will need to improve his creativity in the offensive zone and his shot from the point to improve his offensive arsenal. Pickering’s rush defense is a strength of his game but he will have to find ways to better use his 6-4 frame in his transition to the pro level. Pickering projects as a middle-pairing defenseman who gets powerplay opportunities in the NHL someday if his development continues along as expected.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have selected Pickering with the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Drafted in the 9th round of the 2019 WHL draft, Pickering has blossomed into an important player for Swift Current. He registered nine points while playing over 21 minutes per game in 23 contests in 2020-21 and has seen his role increase in his second season, averaging almost 24 minutes of ice time per game through the early part of his draft year.

There just aren’t a lot of defencemen with Pickering’s combination of size, mobility, and offensive instincts. He has a long, powerful stride but is agile for such a rangy defender. He is able to mirror oncoming attackers with good footwork and can turn to skate with opposing forwards when they try to beat him with speed. Pickering’s mobility allows him to step up and smother passing options in the neutral zone with his great reach because he has the ability to recover if the play gets behind him. He also shows a willingness to push play from the back end and jump into the rush when he sees an opportunity. In the offensive zone, he makes quick reads to pinch down the wall or skate into shooting space and he has some finishing ability – he currently sits just one goal back of Mateychuk for the goal-scoring lead among WHL draft-eligible defencemen. Pickering is still growing into his body and with added strength, he could become a strong defensive presence with the ability to generate offense at the NHL level. It might take a while to get there, but his upside is about as high as anyone who is projected outside the top-10 in the 2022 draft.