Exclusive: Owen Pickering Makes Pro Debut, Goes 1-on-1 With InsideAHLHockey.com

With the disappointment of missing the WHL playoffs with Swift Current fresh on his mind, Owen Pickering got a bit of good news earlier this week when he got the call from the Pittsburgh Penguins informing him he was being reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Pickering was at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Wednesday night while the Penguins were playing the Providence Bruins, meeting some of his new teammates sitting up in the press box before joining the team on the ice for his first AHL practice on Thursday.

On Friday night - on the road in nearby Allentown - Pickering made his pro debut in the Penguins' 4-2 loss to in-state rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers) in what was quite a quick turnaround for the 19-year-old defenseman who the Penguins' organization have high hopes for.

"When I got the call that I was going to be able to have the privilege to come here I was obviously excited," Pickering told InsideAHLHockey.com in an exclusive 1-on-1 interview after his pro debut Friday night.

Perhaps he was just trying to say all the right things during his first interview at the pro-level, but the Penguins' loss overshadowed Pickering's debut to the point where he was always circling back to that fact throughout his post-game interview.

"It was a whirlwind," Pickering explained of the past few days leading up to Friday night's pro debut, adding, "It's tough right now. We didn't get the result we wanted, but I'll try to reflect on it over the coming days and, yeah, it's been pretty cool."

The left-handed shooting defenseman began the game paired with captain Taylor Fedun Friday night, but also saw time on the Penguins' second power play unit as well as plenty of shifts in the offensive zone and during 4-on-4 situations as well - all to give Pickering a taste of what pro hockey is about.

It's clear, from talking with Penguins head coach JD Forrest and those around the Penguins organization, that the Penguins are VERY high on Pickering and see him as a future top-4 NHL defensemen. Though he won't be eligible to play in the AHL next season, the time spent in the pros these next few weeks will be invaluable for Pickering as he continues to develop and further hone his skills.

"Yeah I try to play with pace and attack the game, that kind of thing, but when I'm in the zone I can be pretty effective," Pickering said of his style of play and what he likes to bring.

Though he was held off the scoresheet in his pro debut, he often-times stood out in a good way during his shifts Friday night. Pickering's skating and puck-moving abilities were as advertised but one thing that stood out was his play in the defensive zone - as the 6-foot-4 defender is very rangy and was using his reach really well to kill plays in the defensive zone - especially for a 19-year-old playing in his first pro game.

"He's around some good people that are good professionals that he will be able to observe and kind of learn from," Forrest told InsideAHLHockey.com after Friday's game, adding, "And the day to day operations of what a pro hockey team does, what he needs to do to be able to succeed and be able to keep progressing in his game. It's great for him to get his feet wet in this way and build on it."