Calvin Pickard
Goaltender drafted by Colorado, played for seven NHL teams.
Calvin Pickard (born April 15, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently with the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 49th overall in the second round of the 2010 NHL entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
Pickard played for the Winnipeg Wild in the Manitoba U-18 'AAA' Hockey League (MMHL) during the 2007–08 season, posting a 1.91 goals-against average. The previous year, as a bantam, he won a Manitoba Championship and earned the Top Goaltender award at the Western Canadian Championships.
He began his major junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2008–09, recording 23 wins in 47 games with a .896 save percentage. The Thunderbirds made the 2009 WHL Playoffs but were eliminated in five games by the Spokane Chiefs; Pickard played all five games, earning one win and a .915 save percentage. In his second season (2009–10), he represented the WHL in the 2009 Subway Super Series and later played for Team Cherry in the 2010 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Despite only 16 wins in 62 games, he improved his save percentage to .914 and was named to the 2010 WHL West First All-Star Team. Though ranked as the top North American goaltender by central scouting, he was the third goaltender selected in the 2010 draft.
During the 2010–11 season, Pickard again represented the WHL in the Subway Super Series and attended Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp for the 2011 World Junior Championships, though he did not make the final roster. That season, he compiled 27 wins in 68 games with a .916 save percentage. Unable to secure a roster spot with the Avalanche out of training camp, he was reassigned to Seattle for 2011–12, where he represented the WHL in the Subway Super Series for a third straight year. On January 22, 2012, he set a WHL record by making his 6,959th career save. In his fourth and final season with Seattle, he posted 25 wins in 64 games with a .906 save percentage. He then finished the season with the Lake Erie Monsters, the Avalanche’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, making his professional debut in relief on March 31, 2012, in a 4–0 loss to the Texas Stars.
Pickard signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche on March 25, 2011. In his first full professional season (2012–13), he played 47 games for Lake Erie and recorded 20 wins.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1992-04-15
- Birth Place
- Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 1
- Weight Lb
- 206
- Position
- Goaltender
- Catches
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Minnesota Wild
- Former Teams
- Colorado Avalanche / Toronto Maple Leafs / Philadelphia Flyers / Arizona Coyotes / Detroit Red Wings / Vienna Capitals / Edmonton Oilers
- Ntl Team
- CAN
- Draft
- 49th overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Pickard began his major junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2008–09. He set a WHL record on January 22, 2012, by making his 6,959th career save. He was named to the 2010 WHL West First All-Star Team and was ranked as the top North American goaltender by central scouting before the 2010 draft. Pickard made his NHL debut on October 16, 2014, with the Colorado Avalanche, replacing Reto Berra after an injury. He earned his first NHL win on November 22, 2014, stopping all 17 shots he faced in relief. Pickard was the first player selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, but was later traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs after being placed on waivers. He won the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2018 and shared the Harry 'Hap' Holmes Memorial Award that season. Pickard was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes on November 29, 2018, making six appearances for the club without a win.
Reader's Guide
Pickard's career illustrates the volatility of a goaltender's path in the modern NHL. Despite being a high draft pick and top-ranked North American goaltender, he never secured a long-term starting role. His journey through seven organizations in two years—from the Avalanche to the Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Flyers, Coyotes, Red Wings, and Oilers—reflects the waiver-wire and expansion-draft dynamics that can shuffle players rapidly. His time with the Arizona Coyotes was brief: claimed off waivers on November 29, 2018, he served as the club's third-choice goaltender and made six appearances without earning a win. Pickard's legacy includes a WHL record for career saves and an AHL championship, but his NHL tenure is marked by intermittent starts and frequent reassignments. His experience as the first player selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft, only to be waived and traded days later, underscores the unpredictability of roster construction in the expansion era.
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