Penguins' top pick Owen Pickering keeps growing
It would be a stretch to say Owen Pickering’s first NHL training camp has gone well.
An undisclosed injury has limited what the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in July’s draft has been able to do until recent days when he began resuming contact in practices.
Before that, he missed the team’s entire rookie camp and was mostly a spectator for the first handful of practices during the ongoing training camp.
Pickering, who was injured in a preseason game with his junior team, the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos, still sees plenty of benefits from just being present in camp.
“There’s obviously some difficulty mentally, right off the bat, when it happens right before your first NHL training camp,” Pickering said. “Obviously, we’re all excited. But quickly, you’ve just got to turn it into a positive. The ability to come in and spend time around the organization, kind of get to know everybody and watch practices, too.”
Pickering participated in a morning skate Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena, albeit in a noncontact capacity. Even that quotidian activity was illuminating for the 18-year-old.
“It’s pretty surreal right off the bat,” Pickering said. “The morning skate was pretty cool, kind of getting out there. Being around all the big guys, watching what they do and emulate them. Obviously, that’s where I want to be.
“Meeting the big guys, right, is obviously pretty cool. But just being here, walking into the rink, watching at PPG (Paints Arena) was pretty cool.”
It remains to be seen if Pickering will participate in any of the Penguins’ remaining three preseason games. Playing in any of those contests would obviously a significant, but early, step in Pickering’s growth.
Pickering’s literal growth has already seen a significant surge in the two-plus months since the Penguins selected him at the draft.
“A big thing for me is strength and putting on weight,” said Pickering, who stands 6-foot-4. “A lot of the focus will be in the weight room. Over the summer, I put on a good amount of weight. At development camp, I was 173 (pounds) and I weighed in here at 183 (pounds), I think. I’ve put on a pretty good amount of weight.”
Blueger, Carter remain absent
Injured forwards Teddy Blueger and Jeff Carter remained absent for Friday’s practice in Cranberry. Carter was injured during an intrasquad scrimmage Sept. 24, and Blueger was hobbled during a scrimmage Tuesday.
Coach Mike Sullivan labeled both players as “day to day.” Carter skated prior to practice for the second consecutive day, but Blueger remains off the ice.
Forward prospect Jonathan Gruden and veteran reserve defenseman Taylor Fedun also are sidelined because of undisclosed ailments. Sullivan said each was “day to day.”
Forward prospect Sam Poulin, the team’s first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, has been excused from camp for a handful of days in order to attend to a personal family matter.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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