Pickard backs his way up to Edmonton Oilers' Masterton nomination

Yahoo

09-04-2025

If you want to see perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication, don't look at the past two years Calvin Pickard has spent with the Edmonton Oilers.
Go back over the previous 13 years he spent bouncing up and down from the American Hockey League playing in a total of 12 different jerseys for seven different organizations — 13 jerseys, if you count his brief stint off-continent with the Vienna Capitals.
But it's the latest organization where Pickard has not only earned himself the biggest opportunity of his long drawn-out journeyman career, but the one that proved he had been right all along when it came to not giving up on his dream.
On Wednesday, the 32-year-old native of Moncton, N.B., was named the Oilers' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, recognizing — you guessed it — perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game since 1968.
Voted by the Edmonton chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, no Oilers nominee has ever won the trophy.
And whether or not Pickard becomes the first (Alex Ovechkin, who just became the NHL's all-time goal scorer, is the Washington Capitals' nominee), it's entirely beside the point.
After all, Pickard's having a career year reaching 20 wins for the first time, with a steady and reliable 2.64 goals-against average and a respectable .902 save percentage in 33 games (20-9-1).
Those are NHL-calibre goaltender numbers, without a doubt, even if the Oilers have been accused of picking his spots and saving more of the tougher opponents for starter Stuart Skinner.
'To reach that 20-win mark is pretty remarkable for a guy that's gone through as many stops as he has,' said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. 'He's a very popular player in the room because of his personality, but also his work ethic.
'And he's always there for his teammates. The guys were very excited to hear that he was recognized for that.'
If Knoblauch has a soft spot for Pickard, it could be because they both arrived in Edmonton in November 2024, with the backup goaltender getting called up from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League to replace a wavering Jack Campbell.
And the call ended up sticking, as Pickard went 12-7-1 in relief of Skinner last year, prior to playing in his first two NHL playoff games. And with Skinner currently out with a head injury and the post-season once again fast approaching, the Oilers haven't been relying on their No. 2 netminder any less lately.
'I couldn't do it without all of my teammates and staff,' Pickard said. 'I've grinded for a little bit up and down from the minors for years and got a really good opportunity here last year to come up. It's been the time of my life being up here. I enjoy every day of it.'
Prior to this season, his longest NHL stay came in 2016-17, when he played 50 games with the Colorado Avalanche, posting a 15-31-2 record before going back to work on the farm.
'Every day, I'm excited to come to the rink. I'm proud to be in the NHL,' said Pickard, who was taken first overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft. 'So many people would want the gig I have, and I don't take it for granted.
'I got signed here to be the No. 3 guy a few years back, but I never stopped believing I knew I could play at this level. I got that opportunity and it's been good so far.'
In and out: Already missing their top two centres in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to injury, the Oilers added their third best Wednesday, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins joined the ever-growing list of walking wounded.
Besides Skinner, that list also includes forward Trent Frederic, as well as defencemen Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg.
Thankfully, Nugent-Hopkins' departure from duty isn't expected to last long, and he is likely to suit up against the visiting San Jose Sharks on Friday.
'He is sick,' said Knoblauch, whose squad was one skater short for the second game in a row. 'It's very short-term.'
As glum as it's been for Oilers fans watching second place in the Pacific Division slip further and further from their grasp, it's not all bad news on the injury front.
'We expect to get everybody before the end of the season,' Knoblauch said. 'Whether that's in a couple games, or one of the last two games of the season.'
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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