Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall is in. fora busy week. Hextall inked Kris Letang to a six-year extension before the NHL Draft. He then met with reporters to discuss the Penguins current off-season plans. With the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins chose defenseman Owen Pickering from the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. Taking Pickering in the first round marked only the third time the Penguins utilized their first round pick in almost 10 years. Just by being drafted by the team, Pickering jumps straight to one of the top defensive prospects in the Penguins system. Following his first development camp with the team, the Penguins announced that they have signed Pickering to his first NHL contract. A three-year, entry level deal that is set to begin when he turns professional. Pickering is 18-years-old and stands at 6’4” and 180 pounds with some room to grow. Thanks to his height, skating speed, and puck moving ability, Pickering has already been compared to Penguins defender Brian Dumoulin, but with extra offensive upside. During the 2021-22 season with the Broncos, Pickering scored nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points. The Penguins drafted out of necessity with Pickering as the defensive prospect pool in Pittsburgh is missing talent. The addition of Pickering automatically improves it and puts him within the top three of Penguins defensive prospects. Pickering will not be reaching the ranks of professional hockey quite yet, but should be a pleasure for Pens fans to watch grow in the system. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Running It Back is the Right Decision for the Penguins [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/running-it-back-right-decision-pittsburgh-penguins] Bottom Six Winger Remains a Need for Penguins [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/bottom-six-winger-remains-need-pittsburgh-penguins] Finding the Ideal Defense Partner for Penguins P.O. Joseph [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/finding-ideal-defense-partner-pittsburgh-penguins-po-joseph] Big Three Back Together for the Penguins [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/podcasts/pittsburgh-penguins-big-three-back-together] Penguins Core Heading into a Season of Milestones [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-core-heading-into-season-milestones] * undefined * undefined
