When the Pittsburgh Penguins opened up their 2023 Training Camp, they did so with multiple key prospects on the roster.
While future stars like Brayden Yager, Sam Poulin, and Valtteri Puutsinen got their fair share of reps with the Penguins, defensive prospect Owen Pickering was held to the injured list.
Over the course of training camp, every healthy prospect was maneuvered back to their junior team or to the AHL to start the 2023-24 season.
Pickering, however, has stuck around and finally got his turn to skate with the main roster of players.
It wasn’t intense reps or signs that he’s heading for the NHL roster, but just skating with the big names is huge for Pickering’s growth.
“I think it’s a great experience for Pick,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “To have an opportunity to practice with the NHL games is a great experience for him.”
From Pickering’s perspective, he’s just trying to work his way back to health, but also drink in every second he can with the big club.
“Just kind of working through it,” Pickering said. “It’s a lot of fun to be out there with those guys.”
It seems likely that Pickering will be sent back to his junior team, the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, but not without learning valuable lessons from the Penguins veterans.
“We’ll get him as healthy as we can before we send him on his way,” Sullivan said. “Just to be around those guys and see how they conduct themselves everyday, then to get on the ice with them and see the pace that they practice at.”
Pickering is one of the best young prospects in the Penguins system and has an extremely bright future in the NHL.
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