Owen Pickering is a great offensive defender who is ready to throw the body around and has a bomb from the point.
It is another one of those prospects that has made a leap in growth late in its development, causing people to start paying attention to the 6’5 “pillar, which plays as if it were a small offensive rearguard.
I’ve interviewed a lot of potential customers during my time here at CanucksArmy, and my conversation with Pickering may have been my favorite of all time. He is a good kid from Manitoba who just likes to be mentioned every second as a potential choice for the first round.
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Episode 263 “Predictions for the off-season of Canucks” with Owen Pickering
The boys talk about what they expect from Miller, Boezer and Horvath and are joined for an excellent interview by NHL’s best draft candidate Owen Pickering (a 6’5 ”skater who can skate!)
– Canucks Conversation Podcast (@CanucksConvo) May 17, 2022
Pickering learned to play hockey as a low defender, so when he filled, he transferred those traits to a strong puck player. It’s just now 6’5 “and rises above almost everyone.
Size, position, team and statistics
As we have mentioned several times, Pickering comes in at 6’5 ″, weighs around 180 pounds and is a left-back. He spent last season with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. It was Pickering’s second major youth season after his 23 rookie games with the Broncos in 2020-21.
Over the past year, Pickering has taken a big step in offensive production. He finished the year with nine goals and 24 assists in 67 games and was also given the opportunity to play with the Under-18 Canadian team, in which he was a quarterback of an elite power play group and was entrusted to be the workhorse in the back. end of Canada.
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Ranking
Strengths
The ranking is everywhere with Pickering, as some of the scout agencies list him as selected for the second round, but reliable sources such as Elite Prospects, Dobber Prospects and Craig Button see him as the top 20 talents in the draft.
He has such unprocessed talent in his game that he makes us believe that he has an incredibly high ceiling for Pickering. We can look at a great defender with a top pair, if Pickering is developed properly and continues to improve his game at a similar pace as the jumps he made in the last two seasons.
Pickering is a reliable defender, whose greatest strength is probably his ability to chase dumping and slide the puck to start a breakthrough. He uses his size and swing of his wings to repel the forechakers, always looking so calm under the pressure of the forechacker that he throws and chases.
We loved Pickering’s game during the U18 World Cup. He played more than 26 minutes per game, while helping the Canadian powerful play and criminal murder. He developed confidence as the tournament progressed and was physically fit when needed.
Seeing Pickering defend himself without panic is very promising for him, as he will be forced to make even faster decisions once he reaches the next level. The pressure doesn’t seem to reach him, and this trait is great to see in someone who already has raw talent.
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We also appreciate Pickering’s intelligence when jumping in offensive games. He consistently recognizes when he may be the third person in a three-on-two rush. Once established in the offensive zone, Pickering likes to sneak low and catch a free puck on the left side of the net at five to five and on the right side during power games.
Tape notes
- Pickering, carrying the puck up the ice, is a sight. There’s something about the low camera view of his home ice that makes him look like a giant gliding through the neutral zone. We really like how Pickering chases throws and is able to calmly pick up the puck, gain momentum as it goes around its own net, and then explode into the neutral possession zone. He is more of a defender who makes first, but we saw a few more passes outside his own zone at U18.
- Pickering is truly a universal defender. He has an attack in his game, but he is also strong and active in the defensive zone and can carry the puck with the best of them. Pickering returns to the puck so quickly and almost always makes smart decisions as he chases the puck into the corners.
- Pickering will shoot the puck from any point on the ice and he likes to do it often. He averaged 1.94 shots per game this season, usually aiming for shots on the left side of the ice (although he was often seen as a one-time option on the right half for the Broncos last season). It is unlikely to become a half-wall in the NHL – it is more likely to be used at the top with its powerful blow. That Pickering gets reps on the right half wall is a good practice for him, as it puts him in a deeper attack and allows him to work on his one-off.
- In defense, Pickering does a good job of using his length and mind to anticipate and disrupt goal chances. Pickering is able to quickly get the shooter out of the narrow to the crease. He also does a good job of predicting where the chances of a goal come from. We really like Pickering when taking a penalty, as he could always close two lanes and then be able to block a shot if necessary. Its range perfectly complements the skill set and it uses it well.
- You want to see Pickering be more physical, but the child starts to grow, which causes some knee pain. He is very weak for a 6’5 ″ defender and will probably add 20-35 pounds before reaching the NHL. He really pushes and leans on players, but at his height you would think he would do more damage. He will become a great defender with a little extra weight on his frame.
Accents
Score if Canucks project at 15: B +
No one is sure where Pickering will go in this year’s project. A team can love him and swing against a great defender, as Steve Eiserman did with Moritz Seider.
Clearly, Pickering has great instincts when it comes to playing hockey. His growth boost definitely helps, but it seems he needs a few more years to really understand his skating move. He is already moving through the neutral zone at a good pace and if he manages to develop well with a skating coach, Pickering could turn out to be a monster in the WHL next season, as well as be an influential player in the Canadian world youth team as an 18-year-old. child in December.
Pickering will be eligible to play in each of the next two World Junior Tournaments. He could very easily be the best Canadian defender at WJC 2024 and ultimately show some of the dominance we saw from Thomas Shabot in his final year with the U-20 team in Canada.
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However, you are taking a risk with Pickering and this may not be the path that the Canucks want to follow. To go with Pickering at 15, you have to feel extremely passionate about the development he will have over the next two years. You will probably have to see Denton Mateychuk, Simon Nemek, David Jiricek and Pavel Mintyukov, who are already out of the board, because they are the four defenders who seem to be on the same level in Pickering.
We really like the other side of Pickering. He has all the tools to be the best defender, but his game is so tough that you have to be confident in your development team to make sure they can get the best out of him. It can be effective at five to five and contributes to both the penalty and the power play.
There are so many things to like about Pickering, but you need to make sure you can develop it properly. We learned a lot about him as a person in Episode 263 of the Canucks Conversation podcast, and we’re confident he’s ready to get involved. Canucks and their new development team need to be everywhere in Pickering to make sure he’s taking all the right steps.
If you end up getting the best out of Owen Pickering, you can add the best all-round defender in this entire draft class.
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