Can Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering finally become a full-time NHLer?

A few minutes after the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him in the first round (No. 21 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, Owen Pickering wasn’t meek in outlining his ambitions.

“My mentality was as soon as I was drafted to a team before this was to try to make that team in the fall,” Pickering said that day. “That’s kind of the mentality that I have, and I’m going to carry that forward.”

Moving forward more than three years, Pickering’s hopes haven’t changed.

He wants to be in the NHL as soon as possible.

“The goal, since last year, for me has been to be full-time in the NHL,” the rookie defenseman said Sept. 11 in Cranberry. “I try not to get too complicated or specific with the goals that I want. I feel like if I keep them simple and just kind of stick to them every day, it’s better for me.

“I’m honestly not thinking about it too much right now. It’s cliched, but I’m literally focusing on today. Then tomorrow. Then I feel like that will take care of itself if I attack every day. But I feel like since last year, the goal has been to be a full-time NHLer.”

Pickering (6-foot-5, 200 pounds) got some part-time work at that level last season, when he made his NHL debut after being recalled Nov. 15. Appearing in 25 games throughout November, December and January, the left-hander scored three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 14 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time.

There were some hiccups, however. A concussion cost him four games in January, and waning play led to him being sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League by Jan. 25.

Things were a bit smoother at the AHL level as he was selected to that league’s All-Star event and finished the season on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top pairing with Jack St. Ivany.

“I feel like I definitely took some steps,” Pickering said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of things you can learn from your first year of playing pro hockey. I was lucky enough to get called up for a good chunk of the year. There was just a lot of learning experiences for me. I feel like all those helped me going into the summer and just having a clearer view of what I want for myself and what I can be.”

At the end of last season, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas bluntly questioned what Pickering was at that moment.

“Owen Pickering is there,” Dubas said April 21. “And he played for the team this year. But is he ready to step into one of those roles?

“I don’t think so.”

Pickering, 21, has discussed his development with Dubas and others in management more directly.

“We’ve had conversations,” Pickering said. “I feel like they want me to be my best. They’ve given me every resource to do that, and I’m grateful for that. It’s about attacking every day for me and just staying within myself.”

Dubas was also frank when discussing the left side of his defense as he entered the offseason, labeling it as a “problem.” As such, incumbents Matt Grzelcyk and P.O Joseph were allowed to walk as free agents while veteran journeymen Caleb Jones and Parker Wotherspoon were signed.

Pickering professes he is not dwelling on those he may be competing with for a spot in the lineup.

“I try not to think about that stuff,” Pickering said. “Try not to roster watch. Obviously, I want to be here. I’m here to work every day that I belong here. But I try not to roster watch and kind of predict things. I’m fully confident that if I do what I can, I should give myself a good chance to make the team.”

Through the early stages of training camp, he has been paired with right-hander Harrison Brunicke, one of the top prospects in the organization. And in the team’s preseason opener, a 2-1 road shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Monday, they opened the contest together.

Pickering logged 14:29 of ice time on 17 shifts and attempted two shots.

Entering his second full professional season, Pickering’s pursuit remains the same as what he stated on draft day in 2022. He wants to reach — and stay — in the NHL.

But he understands that pursuit much better, thanks, in part, to his brief stay in the NHL last season.

“I’ve been lucky to be around some world-class, all-time pros,” Pickering said. “Just seeing the way you have to operate day-to-day, the way you have to take care of your body, the way you have to eat. And the way you just have to push every single day just to get better.

“It’s something that everybody can say, but until you see it and experience it, I feel like it hits a little bit differently. … It’s a business. And it’s cut-throat. You’ve got to keep pushing.”