Bryce Pickford’s 44th goal: the WHL record is still within reach

Bryce Pickford is a name that has made a name for itself in Montreal this season, as the young defenseman has gone from an unknown player to one of the Montreal Canadiens' top prospects.
At 19, Pickford is having an absolutely exceptional season in the WHL, which has drawn everyone's attention to his performance with the Medicine Hat Tigers. And right now, the Habs prospect is closing in on the WHL's all-time single-season goal-scoring record for a defenseman.
Indeed, Pickford is racking up goals at a blistering pace, allowing him to etch his name into both his team's history and the league's history.
In fact, last night, in Medicine Hat's 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Pickford scored his 44th goal of the season and added an assist.

Habs Prospect Bryce Pickford with his 44th goal of the season… He had 2 points in the game 53GP 44G 37A 81PTS… INSANE#GoHabsGo https://t.co/dkEhq9IKju
— CoachFrenchy10 (@HabsNationLive) March 14, 2026

With this goal, Pickford moved within just five goals of the single-season record of 49 goals set by Ron Shudra in 1986-1987.
Pickford would therefore need six more goals to break the record and, in doing so, become the first defenseman in WHL history to score 50 goals in a single season.
The only problem is that Pickford has only three games left in the regular season, which could make the task difficult for the Habs prospect.

Bryce Pickford has 3 games to score 6 goals and tie the record. Hey, he's scored multiple hat tricks this season. Will he do it?#GoHabsGo https://t.co/OCHfOU7pIw — Joël (@RiseFromTheAshZ) March 14, 2026
However, it's worth noting that Pickford has three hat tricks this season and nine games with at least one goal, which makes the record a bit more attainable.
The 19-year-old defenseman could therefore break the record with three games of at least two goals, which is clearly unrealistic, but not impossible. In addition, the Tigers' last three games will be played against the worst team in the WHL, the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and the Red Deer Rebels (twice), another team that will miss the playoffs. So we can afford to believe it's possible.

Still, it's a real shame that Pickford got injured and missed 12 games, because otherwise he would have easily broken that record, especially since he has the highest goals-per-game average in history at 0.83.
It's still a historic season for Pickford, who ranks first in goals scored across the entire WHL with 44 goals in 53 games, tied with Cameron Schmidt of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Even just finishing the season as the WHL's leading scorer among defensemen would be quite an achievement.
In short, we'll be keeping a close eye on Pickford's upcoming games, starting tonight against the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 9 p.m.

In Brief – Incredible.

#CBJ's 15-2-4 run (.810 points percentage) beginning Jan. 11 has moved them from …
— 28th to 12th in overall NHL standings — 16th to 9th in the Eastern Conference — 8th to 4th in the Metro Division
– 9 points to 2 points behind 3rd place in the Metro Division – 9 points to 1 point behind the second wildcard spot
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 14, 2026
– Who would have thought at the start of the season that the Sabres would be on this list?

Which of these teams has impressed you the most this season? pic.twitter.com/JRFPVGuLxR — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 13, 2026 – Read more.

My colleague @benrioux and I are writing the first articles in a series this morning on Liam Tep. What has become of this young man who broke Cole Caufield's record at the Brick?
He's still good, and he signed with the Quartexx agency at just 12 years old.https://t.co/CGFUFDVco5
— Kevin Dubé (@KDubeJDQ) March 14, 2026
— For those interested.

GAME DAY GAMEDAY Orlando City
7:30 PM
Inter&Co Stadium
TSN 690
Apple TV GO MONTREAL #CFMTL @ChevroletCanada pic.twitter.com/ARPr7o4bTH
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) March 14, 2026