With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason after a brief return to the postseason, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with veteran Noel Acciari and going on through to prospect Bill Zonnon, every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published every day until June 24, two days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Owen Pickering

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 206 pounds

2025-26 NHL regular season statistics: Four games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists), 12:06 of average ice time per contest

2025-26 AHL regular season statistics: 68 games, 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists)

2025-26 AHL postseason statistics: 11 games, four points (one goal, three assists)

Contract: In the second year of a three-year, entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $$886,667. Pending restricted free agent in 2027

(Pickering does not require waivers for an assignment to a minor league affiliate.)

Acquired: First-round draft pick (No. 21 overall), July 7, 2022

This season: Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas declared a need to improve the left side of the team’s blue line in April of 2025. At the same time, he questioned whether Owen Pickering was ready to step up and become a full-time NHLer.

More than a year later, each of those matters are unresolved.

After an uneventful preseason, Pickering was among the final cuts from the training camp roster and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 4.

Primarily stationed on the left side of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top pairing to open the season, Pickering scored the winning goal in the Penguins’ season opener, a 2-1 home victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Oct. 11.

After posting four points (one goal, three assists) in his first seven games, Pickering was recalled to the NHL roster on Oct. 28. Any hopes he would carry his strong start at the AHL level to the NHL club never materialized as Pickering often struggled in his only four NHL games of the season.

By Nov. 4, he was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and remained there for the rest of the season.

Primarily stationed on the left side of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s blue line for 60 of the final 61 games of the regular season, Pickering offered a mostly positionally sound but hardly spectacular defensive effort for the bulk of the campaign.

Once the Calder Cup playoffs began, Pickering lined up on the left side of the second pairing and was a stabilizing entity. He even contributed the winning goal in their opening game of the postseason, a 4-2 home win against the Hershey Bears on April 30.

According to Inside AHL Hockey, Pickering suffered a broken right foot during a 2-0 home loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds on May 21. That injury wound up sidelining Pickering for four of the team’s final seven games of the playoffs.

The future: The Penguins seem to have a bit more stability on the left side of the blue line with the presence of veterans such as Parker Wotherspoon and Sam Girard. But with Ryan Shea a candidate to leave as a pending unrestricted free agent, there would appear to be a wonderful opportunity for someone to claim a spot on the third pairing.

Is Pickering able to finally stake a claim for that spot? It’s a good question. By most accounts, he had a satisfactory season toward his development, largely offering a safe, reliable defensive game.

While he is a large human, Pickering isn’t overly physical. And his offensive contributions will always be limited.

But Dubas, in his season-ending media availability on May 12, declared Pickering “found his role.”

Now, it’s time for him to find a role in the NHL.

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