Calvin Pickard
Image: NHL

Calvin Pickard

Hometown:

Winnipeg Manitoba

Team:

Colorado Avalanche

Currently Playing In:

Pro

Birthday:

1992-04-15
Position:

G

Eligible for draft:

2010
Catches:

Left
Drafted:

2010
Height:

6-0
Acquired:

2nd overall (49th overall) 2010
Weight:

202 lbs.
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History

2007-08: Calvin Pickard played for the Winnipeg Wild Midget AAA club, registering a 1.91 goals-against average in 40 games.  Calvin’s older brother, Chet, was a first round selection of the Nashville Predators at the 2008 NHL Draft.

2008-09: In his WHL rookie season, Pickard played in 47 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds.  He posted a 3.05 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.  He finished with a 23-16-1-4 record.  In 5 playoff games, Pickard had a 3.03 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage for the Thunderbirds.  Earned a gold medal at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Under-18 Tournament while playing for Team Canada.

2009-10: In 62 games for the Thunderbirds, Pickard registered a 3.09 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.  His record for the season was 16-34-7-5.  Pickard played for the victorious Team Cherry squad at the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game.

2010-11: Pickard skated in 68 games for Seattle and was named to the WHL West Second All-Star team despite skating for a last-place team. Pickard finished with a 27-41 record with eight of those losses in overtime and had one shutout. He finished with a 3.36 GAA and .916 save percentage.

2011-12: Pickard made his pro debut in a pair of games for Colorado’s AHL affiliate Lake Erie following his fourth season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. He made a third period relief appearance replacing Monsters’ starter Cedrick Desjardins on March 31st in a 4-0 loss to Texas and started the next night against the Stars, making 25 saves in an 8-4 win. Pickard was a workhorse for an overmatched Thunderbirds team in Seattle. He played in 64 of 72 games and was 25-39 with 2 losses coming in overtime. On a Seattle team that missed the playoffs after finishing last in the U.S. Division, he had 5 shutouts with a 3.59 goals against and .906 save percentage.

2012-13: Pickard assumed the starting role for Colorado AHL affiliate Lake Erie in his first pro season. In a bit of an up-and-down season he appeared in 47 games and was 20-19-5 with 5 shutouts and had a 2.47 goals against and .918 save percentage. Lake Erie finished third in the North Division but missed the AHL playoffs.

2013-14: Pickard played 43 games for Colorado AHL affiliate Lake Erie — splitting the goaltending duties with Sami Aittokallio. He was 16-18-7 with two shutouts and had a 2.85 goals against and .906 save percentage. The Monsters missed the AHL playoffs; finishing fourth in the North Division.

2014-15: Pickard made his NHL debut in October — appearing in two games with the Avalanche — and played in 16 games for Colorado while playing a career-high 50 games for the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters in his third pro season. He was 6-7-3 with a 2.35 goals against and .932 save percentage for the Avalanche. Pickard was 23-17-3 with three shutouts and had a 2.61 goals against and .917 save percentage for the Monsters. Lake Erie finished fourth in the Midwest Division, missing the AHL playoffs. 

Talent Analysis

Pickard is a technically-sound netminder. He uses his confidence and good goalie instincts to play a simple but smart game. He has shown in the past he is more than capable of being relied upon as a workhorse goalie.

Future
Pickard continues to be the goalie-in-waiting in the Colorado system as Semyon Varlamov has handled the bulk of the starts for the Avalanche. Re-signed to a one-year contract as a restricted free agent in August, 2015, he has shuttled between the Avalanche and new AHL affiliate San Antonio in 2015-16. Pickard is close to being ready for regular NHL duty and had his first career NHL shutout in a game against New Jersey on January 14th. He has the ability to help steal games and make big saves to keep his team in the game. With veteran Reto Berra expected to return from an ankle injury soon Pickard could once again be returned to the AHL but he has shown that he is capable of playing at the NHL level.

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