Owen Pickering
Canadian ice hockey player (born 2004)
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Owen Pickering (born January 27, 2004) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pickering was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, by the Penguins in the 2022 NHL entry draft.[1][2]
| Owen Pickering | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pickering in 2023 | |||
| Born |
January 27, 2004 St. Adolphe, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
| Weight | 206 lb (93 kg; 14 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Pittsburgh Penguins WBS Penguins (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
21st overall, 2022 Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| Playing career | 2023–present | ||
Playing career
The Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League selected Pickering in the ninth round, 177th overall, in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.[3][4]
On July 16, 2022, Pickering was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Pittsburgh Penguins.[5] On October 14, 2022, he was named captain of the Broncos.[6] Pickering was named to the WHL Central Division All-Star First Team for the 2022–23 WHL season.[7] On March 30, 2023, Pittsburgh reassigned Pickering to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.[8] He made his AHL debut on March 31, 2023, in a 4–2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.[9]
On October 10, 2023, Pickering was returned to the Broncos for the 2023–24 WHL season.[10] Pickering was again named to the WHL Central Division All-Star First Team in 2023–24.[11]
On November 16, 2024, with Ryan Graves out as a healthy scratch, Pickering was called up to make his NHL debut during the 2024–25 season against the San Jose Sharks.[12] Playing on the third defensive pairing, Pickering recorded an assist on Jesse Puljujärvi's goal for his first NHL point.[13] Pickering scored his first career NHL goal on December 3, in a 5–4 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers.[14] He played a total of 25 games with Pittsburgh before being assigned back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 15, 2025.[10] Pickering finished the 2024–25 AHL season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, totaling 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 47 games.[15] The Penguins were eliminated 2–0 from the first round of the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a best-of-three series.[16] Pickering played both games in the series, but did not tally any points.[15]
International play
Pickering represented the Canada under-18 team at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships.[17]
Personal life
Alongside hockey, Pickering played baseball, volleyball, and basketball, growing up. He started playing the violin when he was six.[1]
Prior to being drafted, his favourite NHL team was the Winnipeg Jets and he named Miro Heiskanen as his favourite NHL player.[1]
Pickering and Denton Mateychuk are second cousins, and were both selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL entry draft.[18] His younger sister, Avery, has represented Canada at the IIHF World Women's U18 Championship.[19]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 23 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 62 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 61 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 59 | 7 | 39 | 46 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 47 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||