What Will Owen Pickering's Role Be In 2025-26?

Next season will present a prime opportunity for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects to crack the NHL roster.

And one blueline prospect should get a pretty good look.

21-year-old defenseman Owen Pickering – drafted 21st overall by the Penguins in 2022 – got a small taste of NHL experience in 2024-25 and figures to take on a bigger role next season.

With the Penguins shorthanded on left-side defense, Pickering could play a crucial role heading forward. In 25 games with the Penguins last season, he registered one goal and three points and played some minutes in a top-four role next to Kris Letang.

Even though he experienced those top-four minutes last season – and did well for a while in them – Penguins’ POHO and GM Kyle Dubas is aware that Pickering is not quite ready to be thrust into a full-time top-four role.

“He’s got to have a great summer,” Dubas said. “We can’t have him same as we had him go down, settling into a 12-13 minute a night role. He needs to come in and push his way into 17-18-19-20 minutes and earn that.”

Dubas added: “He played for the team this year, but is he ready to step into one of those roles? I don’t think so.”

‘I Would Love To Come Back’: After Career Year, Grzelcyk Hopes To Stay In PittsburghWhen defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made the decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer, he did so with the mindset that he’d come in and be granted some opportunity to rediscover his game.

Given that declaration by Dubas – coupled with the likely departure of pending-unrestricted free agent Matt Grzelcyk – the Penguins are probably going to seek external help to bolster the left side on their blue line. Even if they do acquire a top-four defenseman, however, there will still be an opening for one of the top-four left defensive slots.

The other left defensemen on the Penguins’ roster – Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, and Vladislav Kolyachonok – have been logging primarily bottom-pair minutes and, ideally, would remain in a bottom-pair role, at least when Pickering has earned his way into top-four minutes.

In other words, the spot is there for the taking for Pickering, but – as Dubas said – he’ll have to earn his way into those minutes. And he wants to work on continuing to be a player the coaching staff can rely on.

“Obviously, being up [in the NHL], you kind of learn what it takes.,” Pickering said. “Coming from juniors and all the way in your first year pro, the coaches have to trust you. And that’s something I feel like I’ve been working on and that I feel has gotten better, and something I’m trying to improve.”

4 Left Defensemen The Penguins Should Target This SummerDuring his postseason press conference on Apr. 21, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas provided a glimpse into what the summer could look like for the organization.

And Pickering defintely worked on that rebliability aspect in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after he was re-assigned there on Jan. 25. He finished the AHL season with two goals, 13 points, and a plus-18 rating in 47 games, often logging top-pair minutes and playing in all situations.

But, make no mistake: Pickering does not want to be playing AHL hockey next season. He wants to be rolling with the big club, and he is aware of the opportunity that lies in front of him heading into training camp.

“You never want to get sent back,” Pickering said. “You always want to be in the NHL. I feel like I proved to myself that I can play in the NHL.

“I want to be full-time next year, I want to be [in Pittsburgh] the whole year. That’s the goal.”

With Byram On Trade Market, Penguins Need To Take NoticeIn his season-ending press conference on Apr. 21, Pittsburgh Penguins’ POHO and GM Kyle Dubas specified that the team would look to bolster the left side on defense from outside the organization.