The Penguins have signed their top selection from the draft earlier this month, announcing that they’ve signed blueliner Owen Pickering to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 18-year-old was the 21st pick by Pittsburgh earlier this month following a strong season with Swift Current of the WHL where he had 33 points in 62 games in his first full major junior season. Now standing 6’4, Pickering had a late growth spurt and will need some time to fill out his frame before he’s ready to even consider playing in the pros. He’s the first first-round pick from the Broncos since Boston took Jake DeBrusk 14th overall back in 2015.
Pickering’s contract is eligible to slide a year if he doesn’t play in ten NHL games next season (and it’s doubtful he will see any NHL action). As a result, he’ll still have three years left on his deal after this one, likely at a slightly lower cap hit assuming his contract has signing bonuses which is quite normal for first-round selections.
At the time, I wanted the Russian winger (Yurov?) who went to Minny a few picks later, because he had upside and the potential to be NHL ready soon enough to help the current core…but keeping Rakell took what would have been his spot.
With that off the table, I love the selection of Pickering for the exact opposite reason. He’s so raw and will need a long development time that it’s almost like he’s a 2024 draft pick. This is the first pick meant for the post-Crosby era. He also has a high floor AND a high ceiling. Lot to like here.