The emotions that Pickering is feeling at this point of the season are certainly different from what he experienced through the first half, with the 20-year-old defenseman battling through a challenging start.
Pickering missed most of camp following a three-month layoff in the offseason, as he was injured for the second summer in a row. From there, as a group, the Broncos went through a coaching change, with Pickering shouldering a lot of that burden in his second year as team captain.
From a personal standpoint, Pickering also had to deal with the difficulty of not being invited to Team Canada’s World Junior selection camp. While Pickering feels he should have been there, “I didn't have the greatest first half, so it was what it was, and so you just kind of move on and take it as motivation.”
To do that, Pickering relied on his family, calling them his No. 1 support system; his friends; and Dr. Kevin Wildenhaus, former sports psychologist for the Pittsburgh Steelers who is now part of the Penguins' player performance group.
“I talked to him quite a bit,” Pickering said. “We have a very good relationship and he's helped me through with strategies and journaling and stuff, certain things that I've started to do, and he helps me a lot.”
In addition to his communication with Wildenhaus, Pickering is in contact with Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos and Chris Butler, a player development coach focused on the defense, which helped him come on strong in the second half.
“I feel like I've played really, really well. I think I was just under a point per game in the second half, and I was really happy with that,” said Pickering, who established a new personal best with 39 points and finished with seven goals – two shy of his career high of nine, which he posted in each of his first two full seasons in Swift Current.
“And then I’ve just been trying to develop every facet of my game. Talked to Pittsburgh a lot about kind of that defending down low and making sure that I'm playing strong and competing every single night, and I think I've taken steps in all those ways.”
It helps that Pickering, in addition to being incredibly personable and quick to laugh and joke, is an absolute sponge. He’s thoughtful, cerebral, and incredibly mature, always looking for how he can better himself both on and off the ice.
Particularly when it comes to being a leader, with Pickering relying on the group around him – “anyone one of them can be the captain as well”; and reading books like ‘Pursuit of Excellence’ – “I actually read it for the first time when I was like 15, my dad made me read it, and I really didn't want to – now I’ve read it a few times” – and Atomic Habits.
Kostopoulos has praised Pickering’s open mind and how he wants to learn and wants information, and “that’s the best thing you can ask for with a young draft pick. He understands that it’s a path, and we’re going to help him.”
Pickering took a big step forward on that path after making his pro debut on March 31, 2023 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and playing eight total games in the American Hockey League. Pickering called the experience “huge” for his development, saying that it showed him what to work on, but also gave him confidence that he can skate and think at that level.
“It also helped me know that a lot of the things that I was deficient at that level, whether that was box outs or pins in the corner and stuff like that, will all come with strength,” Pickering said. “Gave me a ton of motivation to go in and have a good summer as well. So, I think this playoff run will hopefully be really long, and hopefully we'll be lifting a trophy, and I think that's invaluable as well (reporting to NHL training camp in the fall).”
