Pickard, 28, ranks among the AHL's top goaltenders this season with 13 wins (2nd), 1,541:40 minutes played (1st), a 2.34 goals-against average (6th), 783 saves (1st) and a 0.929 save percentage (2nd) in 26 games for Grand Rapids this season. Pickard saw time in three different leagues in 2020-21, notching a 2-1-1 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and 0.874 save percentage in six games with the Red Wings in addition to playing three games with the Griffins and six for the Vienna Capitals in Austria's top professional league. Pickard has appeared in nine games for Detroit over the last two seasons and has made 113 appearances in his NHL career, logging a 34-53-10 record, 3.01 goals-against average, 0.904 save percentage and four shutouts with the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Red Wings.
A 10th-year pro, Pickard has also played 262 AHL games with the Lake Erie Monsters, San Antonio Rampage, Toronto Marlies, Tucson Roadrunners and Griffins since 2011-12. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound netminder has a 124-92-24 record, 2.62 goals-against average, 0.914 save percentage and 16 shutouts. Originally drafted by the Avalanche in the second round (49th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Pickard spent his entire major-junior career with the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds from 2008-12, totaling a 91-120-27 record, 3.29 goals-against average, 0.909 save percentage and 12 shutouts. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native has also represented Canada at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a gold and silver medal, respectively.
