CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Skaters spent nearly two hours on the ice during Penguins development camp at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex Monday. While that isn't a ridiculous amount of time to spend on the ice, it's likely longer than many of the younger players coming out of junior are accustomed to.
When I asked first-round pick Owen Pickering if it seemed like a long practice before assuming that he was just happy to be out there, he laughed and suggested he would've stayed on the ice all day.
"No, it didn't feel long at all," he said. "Just having fun. Very, very good practices."
Pickering's charisma is as grand as he is tall. He's not a loud or powerful speaker by any means, but there's confidence and conviction in every sentence he speaks. It's overwhelmingly clear he's extremely mature for his age.
From the second he was drafted, he's handled every interview and availability like he's been doing it his whole life.
Skills coach Ty Hennes ran the majority of practice on Monday. As he instructed and conducted drills keeping the players energized and engaged, his voice echoed throughout the entire rink.
Here he is running a group of players, including Pickering (No. 19), through an edge work drill:
After two days it might be hard to say, but has Pickering taken a liking to Hennes' style or any of the other coaches?
"I wouldn’t say I have a favorite (coach)," Pickering said after contemplating for a moment. "I think I’m pretty good at adapting to different coaching styles. That comes through kind of a self-confidence, a belief in yourself and the ability to take different messages from different coaches and different styles is something that I worked on. I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite, just positives with every coach."
His answer prompted me to ask, even though he's one of the younger players at this year's camp, if he is taking on a leadership role among the group.
"Definitely a bit more leadership, and I’ve always tried to work on that. I think over the past little while my leadership has come a long way, so I do think there’s some aspects to it."
That said, Pickering respects each and every player of the group and knows they've earned this opportunity as much as he has. His draft pedigree doesn't change that.
"Obviously the position I’m in, you may be looked to a little more, but there’s also a lot of really good players here," he continued. "These guys are here for a reason, so I don’t really feel like there’s much of a need in this dressing room."
That comment alone displays his natural leadership qualities. Not that it would put off any of his teammates if he had simply glossed over their presence, but it has to mean something to them to hear the exciting new kid who has every reporter at their stall give them a vote of confidence and recognition.
Time will tell whether or not Pickering's size and skill set propel him to the NHL as an impactful player. There's no time needed to decipher his impact as a person on his teammates and coaches alike.
Regardless of what he brings to the ice, he could be regarded as a positive locker room presence right now, and there is value in that alone.
Being drafted and immediately jumping into development camp has been a whirlwind for Pickering. He's not looking to get too far ahead of himself and wants to make sure he's taking everything in and enjoying the experience.
"It’s been a ton of fun. Obviously it’s happened fast, but it’s been a great couple days and we have some more cool stuff planned for the next few days so I’m looking forward to that."
