Pickering Moves Past Ryan Graves, Still Trending Upward

CRANBERRY — There is no way to predict the long-term impact Owen Pickering will have on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the course of his career.

Not with any real certainty, anyway.

Perhaps he never will be more than a journeyman, a guy who labors on bottom pairings, switching employers on a regular basis and never earning more than a relatively modest salary.

Then again, maybe Pickering will mature into an all-star, or even establish himself as a perennial contender for the Norris Trophy.

When discussing someone who has all of six NHL games on his resume and who won’t be eligible to legally consume an adult beverage in this Commonwealth until Jan. 27, it’s far too early to pass judgment on what he might ultimately accomplish at this level.

But even at this embryonic stage of Pickering’s career, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan believes that Pickering has the potential to develop into a major force.

“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Sullivan said. “He’s still filling out, filling into his body. He hasn’t completely matured yet, physically. He brings a lot of size and range and reach already. He’s a mobile guy, for his size (6-foot-5, 200 pounds). He skates well. He has a good stick. I think that when he gets stronger, when he fills out physically, he’s going to be stronger at the net-front, stronger in the battle areas, things of that nature.

“He also makes pretty good decisions. He has good recognition skills. He has good awareness skills and he has aptitude for the game. You can see him learning with every game that he plays. And he’s an enthusiastic learner. He’s engaged in the process. He likes to watch film. He spends a lot of time with (assistant coach David Quinn), one-on-one. He asks a lot of questions.”

Pickering’s presence since being recalled from Wilkes-Barre in mid-November already has affected the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup, because he has bumped Ryan Graves from the No. 3 pairing to the healthy-scratches list.

Pickering partnered with Ryan Shea on that tandem during practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex Thursday, and presumably will be there when the Penguins visit the New York Rangers Friday at 7:38 p.m.

Although Pickering appears to mesh nicely with Shea, he said he does not prefer any particular qualities in his defense partner, with the idea that they bring out the best in his game.

“I like playing with everybody that I’ve played with, even in Wilkes-Barre,” he said. “I feel like I’m pretty adaptable, that I can adapt my game to a certain type of partner.”

Pickering will enter the Rangers game riding the momentum generated by scoring his first career goal during the Penguins’ 5-4 overtime victory against Florida Tuesday. But while Goal No. 1 figures to be as much of an enduring memory for Pickering as it is for most players, he has no special plans for the puck he put behind Panthers goalie Spencer Knight.

“I’m just going to keep it in my room, probably,” he said. “Nothing crazy.”

Sullivan and his staff have been wary of force-feeding the NHL to Pickering; he is averaging just 13 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time, the lowest figure of any Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman this season. Of that total, an average of 1:37 has been spent killing penalties, but Pickering hasn’t made it over the boards during a Penguins power play yet.

Limiting his workload is prudent, because the demands of playing defense effectively in the NHL are numerous and the cost of lapses can be high for a young player attempting to get acclimated to hockey there.

“I’ve always been of the opinion that … defense is the hardest position to play at this level because you have to make reads based on what happens in front of you, and there’s not always predictability there,” Sullivan said. “Defensemen are forced to have to make reads constantly, in all three zones, and it happens fast. There are a lot of mistakes made in front of those guys, and they’re the last line of defense before the goaltender.”

Pickering cited the tiny margin for errors that exists in the NHL as the biggest adjustment he’s faced since leaving Swift Current of the Western Hockey League for the pros, but that doesn’t look to have overwhelmed him.

“I feel like I’m handling it pretty well,” he said. “I feel like I’m playing well. I feel like I’m getting confidence every game.”

Just as those who work him seem to be steadily gaining confidence in him.

“We’re really encouraged with his development to this point,” Sullivan said. “He’s played real well for us, and we’re looking forward to watching his game grow.”

And to find out just how much it does that in coming seasons.