Another hat trick for Bryce Pickford: he has 31 goals in 37 games

Mathis Therrien
Another hat trick for Bryce Pickford: he has 31 goals in 37 games
Credit: Twitter screenshot

When we talk about the Canadiens' prospects, we mostly hear the names Michael Hage, fresh off an incredible World Junior Championship, and Alexander Zharovsky, who is dominating in the KHL at 18.

And on defense, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom stand out from the pack as the two closest NHL prospects in terms of defensemen.

However, there's another name that keeps growing and growing among the Habs' top prospects, and I'm talking about Bryce Pickford.

The 6'1″, 186 lb. right-handed defenseman is the talk of the town thanks to his out-of-the-ordinary performances.

Drafted in the third round (81st overall) at the last draft, Pickford is simply too good for the WHL this season.

In fact, the 19-year-old defenseman scored his second hat trick of the campaign last night, in an 8-3 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Pickford, who is captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers, scored five total points in this game, which now gives him 58 points in 37 games.

That's good for 4th in the WHL.

But the most impressive aspect of all is not Pickford's point total, but his goal total, which now stands at 31 in 37 games.

Again, Pickford is a defender.

With his hat trick last night, Pickford took over the WHL's top scorers' crown, ahead of Cameron Schmidt and his 29 goals.

All three of Pickford's goals were scored on the power play.

The Habs prospect has made a specialty of scoring and dominating on the powerplay, which could be very interesting in the future for the Habs' second wave.

In short, the more the season progresses, the more I quietly believe that Pickford could one day become a solid defenseman for the Canadiens.

He has absolutely extraordinary offensive assets, and is an excellent leader for his team, given that he's the captain.

Remember that the Habs signed Pickford to his NHL entry-level contract a few weeks ago, which means we should see the right-handed defenseman turn pro next season.

Pickford, who turns 20 in April, could also very well join the Laval Rocket on a professional tryout to play a few games this season when his junior campaign is over.

In short, Pickford is a real prospect on the Habs' roster, where right-handed defensemen are a rare commodity.

He'll be one to watch very closely in the coming months.


Overtime

– Of note.

– He'll be one to watch.

– Read more.

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