Next up on our 2026 THN Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a 2022 first-round pick who made considerable progress last season and still figures to be part of the team's future.
It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.
This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.
At No. 9, we put a spotlight on Liam Ruck, who could continue to climb this list as he moves forward in his development. At No. 8, we look at defenseman who experienced a fair amount of growth in the back half of the 2025-26 AHL season and who the Penguins still believe has a place in their future.
No. 8: D Owen Pickering
For a while, it looked like Pickering, 22, had hit a wall in his development. The 6-foot-5, 206-pound blueliner has played in 29 career NHL games (one goal, three points), with only four of them last season involving mixed results. After showing some promise as a rookie in 2024-25 at the beginning of his NHL stint that year, he, arguably, started to regress a bit in the time that followed.
But, in the second half of the 2025-26 AHL season and into the Calder Cup Playoffs for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), he seemed to turn a corner.
Many of the inconsistencies - particularly on the defensive side of the puck - began to iron themselves out over the course of the season. The lack of quick processing that was plaguing his professional game seemed to get up to speed, his skating improved, and he was becoming more of a two-way threat.
The biggest difference is that these things are no longer happening few and far between, and his less-than-ideal performances are happening fewer and farther between. That consistency and reliability is the one sticking point that the Penguins' development staff wanted to see growth in for Pickering, and he managed to accomplish that.
And if Pickering can translate that consistency and reliability to the NHL level, the Penguins will be much better for it, especially on a left side that could use some higher-upside young blueliners.
"We're really happy with how far he came [last season]," WBS assistant general manager Amanda Kessel said during development camp. "Instead of having one good game, one bad game, he's somebody that strung a lot together. There were still moments and times, but those were fewer and far between, and that's really what we're looking for.
"Everything in the gym, too, he came back last summer even better, and [we] thought that he had a good start. And, so, we expect the same thing for him [this season]."
Pickering finished the AHL season with seven goals and 28 points in 68 games in addition to a goal and four points in 11 playoff games. He showed capability running the second power play unit in WBS, and he also took on heavy penalty kill minutes. An injury limited him a bit during the playoffs and caused him to miss four games, but he was very good in all three zones during the 11 games that he played in.
Development isn't always linear for defensemen - particularly, for big defensemen, who have to grow into their frame and learn how to use it properly at NHL speed - and the Penguins know this. Dubas, like Kessel, was happy with Pickering's progression last season, and he believes that he can be a contributor for the NHL club moving forward.
"You might say, going back to his time [with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL], the coordination, balance... all those things that are common when you have a 6-foot-5, 180, then 190, 200-pound guy, it takes some time for that to come together.
"But we've been very happy with the way that Owen [came on] in the second half of the year. I don't think you look at it and say it was anything truly dynamic, but it was steady, solid, reliable hockey, and that's what we're looking for him to develop into."
The left side is a bit of a hodge podge for the Penguins right now, as they feature Sam Girard, Declan Carlile, Trevor van Riemsdyk (right-handed but plays both sides), Caleb Jones, and Jake Livanavage as other candidates to see NHL minutes. That said, the battle for positioning there is pretty wide-open considering the lack of true high-end talent on that side.
So, this season could say a lot about both where Pickering is in his development and how soon - or if it all - the Penguins envision him as part of their future. Given his growth in the past year, he may need a bit of time to fully develop, but there is reason to believe he may just turn into a reliable, bottom-four NHL defenseman for them in the years to come.
The list so far:
- No. 20: D Chase Pietila
- No. 19: C Kale Dach
- No. 18: LW/C Ryan Miller
- No. 17: C Zam Plante
- No. 16: G Joel Blomqvist
- No. 15: C Markus Ruck
- No. 14: LW Tanner Howe
- No. 13: D Finn Harding
- No. 12: RW Avery Hayes
- No. 11: D Tomas Galvas
- No. 10: C Tristan Broz
- No. 9: RW Liam Ruck
- No. 8: D Owen Pickering
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