Pickford Kicks off WHL season with a Bang

During the game, Pickford showed why the Canadiens drafted him in the 3rd Round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft despite being a 19 year old overager. The defenseman instantly put on a show by using his hard shot to find the twine during the first period. His 2nd goal came late in the game when he scored in an empty net from his own zone.

It has become very clear that his shot is his best asset, as even during last year’s playoff run with the Tigers, he finished 2nd in goals with 13 in 18 games despite only being a defenseman. During the regular season, he put up 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 48 games for the Tigers, leading all defensemen across the board in offensive categories. This year, he is hoping to take yet another step in his game and top a point per game.

Pickford actually finished the game with a game-high 9 shots on goal and had a chance to score another goal for the hat-trick a few times during the night. Not to mention, he went on a rush a few times, attempting to score by getting through the Pats’ defense. Pickford also showed his underrated playmaking game by setting up teammates that led to goals on two occasions.

As for his defensive game, it appeared to be solid during the 5-2 victory, but he will always be known more for his offensive game in the WHL. Nonetheless, he will be relied upon on both ends for the Tigers since he’s entering his age 19 season on a team that only got younger after losing some big names in the off-season such as Gavin McKenna and Cayden Lindstrom to the NCAA. The best part of his defensive game would likely be his physicality as he showed a few times during the game against the Pats.

Honestly, Saturday’s performance was somewhat surprising for Habs fans, considering how one week ago, Pickford was held out of the Canadiens Rookie Showcase due to a lower-body injury. After his performance, it is seemingly looking like the Habs kept him out for precautionary reasons, as the prospect definitely didn’t look banged up at all and was never put on the Tigers’ injury reserve list since being sent back to them after Sunday’s Showcase game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nonetheless, this performance is very impressive for a guy who was nursing an injury just over a week ago, considering it was his very first game since then.

It was definitely disappointing that, as Habs fans we didn’t get to see Pickford show his abilities last weekend, but it’s nice to see that he’s doing fine now, and that he’s starting the year with the Tigers with a dominant game. The Canadiens seem to have gotten a good depth piece for the organization in Pickford. It will be fun to watch how his game develops over the next few seasons.

What were your thoughts when the Habs drafted Pickford at this year’s draft?