Penguins Prospect Report: Pickering’s Final Steps, Learning to Attack

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Penguins Prospect Report: Pickering’s Final Steps, Learning to Attack

Sam Wismer · Pittsburgh Hockey Now

Mon, Oct 12, 2026 ·

6 min read

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For those tracking Owen Pickering and his development over the last two seasons, it has now reached an important stage.

Pickering, the Pittsburgh Penguins ' 2022 first-round pick (21st overall), is no longer a young defenseman trying to figure out professional hockey. At 22, Pickering has two full AHL seasons with two playoff runs behind him. He has 29 games of NHL experience on his résumé and an understanding of what kind of defenseman he wants to be in the future.

**This is our season debut of a new regular feature from PHN Wilkes-Barre contributor Sam Wismer.

The question isn't whether Pickering has the tools. At 6-foot-5, he has a long reach, mobility, and the ability to close space quickly. The next step is taking those tools that he has learned and worked on to become a reliable NHL-level player. That is why 2026-2027 is important for Pickering.

Photo Credit: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

He showed significant progression in the second half of the 2025-2026 season and finished with seven goals and 21 assists in the span of 68 games. He added four points in 11 Calder Cup playoff games with one goal and three assists. For a young defenseman, this was the pinnacle of his identity taking shape, and he describes that identity: "I feel like a two-way contributor. I feel like I've grown a lot on my game over the past couple of years, and I'm a good skater."

Skating is one of the most important attributes a defenseman needs, and this was one of the most important pieces of his projection.

Decision-making has become one of the primary focuses of Pickering's development. That includes learning when to join the rush and when to stay behind, and when there is opportunity to create offense without compromising defense structure. Learning those skills isn't something that can be rushed.

"I think that kind of just comes with time. Trust my coaches and having gone over a lot of videos over the past two years with them," Pickering said. "So just learning my game and when to go and who's on the ice at the time of the game."

The last part of that statement is important. He's not just looking at where the puck is; Pickering evaluates before activating.

"Usually counting numbers and then how dangerous the rush is too. I think that's kind of the biggest thing ultimately," said Pickering.

Understanding timing and having an offensive-minded defenseman is a difference maker. Pickering's next level comes from being consistently able to recognize those moments when his skating and size can turn a defensive play into offense without risk. He has already shown signs of that progression at the end of last season. In the first two games of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton season, Pickering has been on a line with a fellow prospect, Harrison Brunicke . Both young players have been praised for their speed, gap control, and positioning.

PICKERING SHORTY 🚨

Borland and Borland will donate $250 for every shorthanded goal we score! pic.twitter.com/13eTwND1gF

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) April 18, 2026

Defense Creates the Offense

For Pickering, offensive opportunity starts with trust.

Defensemen cannot be aggressive consistently if the coaching staff doesn't trust him to defend when aggression isn't working.

" It's the most important thing. I feel like trusting that I'll be able to be put on the ice, and if you're not reliable to get the opportunity to go out and kind of showcase small offensive stuff or whatnot."

Pickering understands that his offensive game is secondary to being a defenseman a coach will trust in all situations. It all starts in his own zone, plain and simple.

"It's huge, get out of the zone. The better you are at defense, the less you have to do it."

It's a simple concept, but an important one for a developing defenseman.

From Physical Tools to Physical Awareness

In the early days of Pickering's pro career, it was easy to focus on the very obvious size, his skating, and his reach. Now, for those looking for when Pickering will take that final step to the NHL and leave WBS behind for good, it's time to watch the effectiveness of his use of those skills.

"I just want to be aggressive. We get to play pro hockey. I feel like over the past couple of years, you know guys' tendencies and you just learn more about yourself and how to use your body and when to close and when to contain," Pickering continued.

The final statement of when to close and to contain is probably the most crucial part of his development.

Patience Is Part of the Development

Pickering's road hasn't been linear. After all, no player in the minors ever has a truly linear road to the NHL. Pickering has had NHL opportunities, been assigned back to the AHL, and has gone through injuries and the growing pains of a young defenseman. By all accounts, from coach Kirk MacDonald to the Penguins front office, the 2025-2026 season was a big step forward in the right direction, but the player needs just a little more patience.

After a couple of years of fighting upward, Pickering is not ignoring the long-term goal, but he's not letting it dictate his everyday life, either.

"It's a fine line. I think you want to be pushed every day, but I also have to have the bigger picture in mind," Pickering said. "I try to just focus on pushing every day, and that kind of works for me."

There will be good and bad games. There will be nights where he is on top of his game and other nights when the puck simply doesn't cooperate. He understands that.

"There's just going to be days where things don't go your way. Things happen over the subsequent couple of years that were unexpected. Things kind of work out in the end if you keep grabbing them."

Putting all of those pieces together with consistency will earn him an NHL role and the ability to keep it. Pickering was one of the more interesting prospects to watch last season, and this season has just begun. The Penguins no longer need to figure out if he can be a professional defenseman. Now the question is what kind of NHL defenseman he can become.

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