At the last draft, the Montreal Canadiens added a lot of depth when it came to right-shot defensemen by drafting three of them, the first of which was Bryce Pickford, who they picked with the 81st pick overall in the third round. They also added Carlos Handel and Andrew MacNeil in the sixth round.
Pickford attended the Canadiens’ rookie camp and was sent back to his junior team, the Medicine Hat Tigers, after the Prospect Showdown on September 14. It was a good experience for the 6-foot-1 and 183-pound 19-year-old blueliner, who can be described as a two-way defenseman who improved offensively last season with 47 points in 48 games.
In the Canadiens’ behind-the-scenes at the draft video, co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov is shown advocating for Pickford in these words:
To me, I’m sold on Pickford, because the guy fights, he works out 24/7, he’s got a bomb. He wants to be a player, and he needs to be taught how to defend- Bobrov on Pickford
The youngster was an alternate captain in Medicine Hat last season, but this year, he was elected team captain by his teammates. On Saturday night, he led his team to a 5-2 win over the Regina Pats, putting up two goals and an assist and posting a plus-four rating. He scored at even strength, got an assist on the power play, and sealed the deal with a shorthanded empty-netter. The newly minted captain definitely had a statement game to start the year.
In his first two seasons in the OHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he could only muster 17 points per year, and he’s clearly on his way up offensively speaking. It will be worth keeping an eye on the young defenseman this season; an organization can never have too many good prospects.
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