Edmonton Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard was recently named the team’s nominee for the 2025 Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to “the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
Pickard has been filling in on the Oilers’ starting role over the last couple of weeks due to an injury to Stuart Skinner, after serving as a backup for the club since last season. However, his journey to becoming a regular in the NHL hasn’t been without its challenges. In the 15 years since he was first drafted, the netminder’s story is one of resilience, overcoming adversity, grinding in the minors, and seizing the opportunity in his NHL resurgence.

Pickard Struggled to Stay In the NHL Earlier in His Career

Pickard was drafted 49th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2010 NHL Draft and spent four seasons playing with the Lake Erie Monsters in the AHL before making his NHL debut with the Avalanche during the 2014-15 season. In 16 games with Colorado, despite a 6-7-3 record, he posted a .932 save percentage (SV%), and it seemed like he was on the verge of establishing himself as a regular NHL netminder.
He stepped into the starting role during the 2016-17 season due to an injury to Semyon Varlamov, but the Avalanche were the worst team in the league that season. Pickard posted a .904 SV% in 50 games and while it was a solid effort given the struggling team he was on, it wasn’t enough to solidify his place. As Varlamov returned to the lineup, Pickard found himself back in the backup role, and soon after, the Avalanche left him unprotected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, where he became the first-ever selection by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Heading into the 2017–18 season, the netminder was poised to be the backup to Marc-André Fleury in Vegas. However, the team claimed Malcolm Subban off waivers just before the start of the season and eventually traded Pickard to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he found himself back in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies.
What followed was a tough stretch for Pickard over the next four seasons, as he struggled to gain traction and bounced between NHL and AHL teams with Toronto, Philadelphia, Arizona, and Detroit. Yet, he continued to push forward, and during the 2021–22 season with the Detroit Red Wings’ affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, he found his game, posting a 21-16-5 record with a 2.58 goals-against average (GAA) and a .918 SV%.
The netminder’s strong play caught Edmonton’s eye and in the summer of 2022, they signed him to a two-year deal worth $762,500 AAV in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL. At the time, with the Oilers having signed Jack Campbell to a five-year, $25 million contract and with young Stuart Skinner set to assume the backup role, Pickard’s future pointed back to the minors.
Once again, he stayed focused and kept pushing forward. He posted good numbers with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, during the 2022-23 season, with a 23-12-2 record, a 2.70 GAA, and a .912 SV%. However, the following season would be a turning point in Pickard’s journey.
Heading into the 2023-24 campaign, the netminder was positioned as the third-string goalie in the organization. He started the season in the AHL with the Condors, going 4-0-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .912 SV% over that stretch. Yet, at the same time, the Oilers struggled out of the gate, with subpar goaltending from the Skinner-Campbell tandem. As a result, Campbell was sent to the AHL, Pickard was recalled to the NHL, and the Moncton, NB native hasn’t looked back since.

Pickard’s Game Keeps Evolving with the Oilers

Pickard picked up his first win in an Oilers uniform on December 10, 2023, against the New Jersey Devils—his first NHL victory in over 600 days, dating back to his time with the Red Wings. He followed it up in January 2024 with a shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks, which was his first since 2016.
Over 23 games during the 2023–24 season, Pickard helped stabilize the crease, posting a 12-7-1 record with a 2.45 GAA and a .909 SV%. Then came the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the second round against the Vancouver Canucks, Oilers starter Skinner struggled early and was pulled in the third period of Game 3 after allowing four goals on just 15 shots.
Down 2-1 in the series, the Oilers turned to Pickard for a must-win Game 4. Making his NHL playoff debut 14 years after being drafted, he stepped up big—stopping 28 shots and posting a .905 SV% in a 3-2 win that evened the series at two apiece. Head coach Kris Knoblauch, who made the gutsy move to start the journeyman goaltender with zero playoff experience, said after the game about his netminder, “It looked like a guy who’d played 100 playoff games.”
Pickard got the nod for Game 5 against the Canucks and he stood tall, making 32 saves—nine of them on high-danger chances—but with minimal offensive help, the Oilers dropped the game 3-2. From there, Edmonton turned back to Skinner for the rest of the playoffs, but Pickard’s clutch play gave his crease partner the opportunity to reset, ultimately exceeding expectations.
That said, the Oilers signed Pickard to a two-year extension worth $1 million AAV last summer. Fast forward to this season—he’s taken on more responsibility and true to his time with the Oilers, he’s been solid, posting a 21-9-1 record, a 2.65 GAA, and .901 SV%, and he even recorded an assist on Leon Draisaitl’s OT goal on March 14.
Moreover, the real test came when Skinner went down with an injury on March 26 against the Dallas Stars, and Pickard has risen to the occasion ever since.
In the six games he’s started since, with an injury-riddled lineup, the goaltender has posted a 4-2 record averaging a .902 SV% in that span. This included huge, late-game stops in back-to-back contests—against the Vegas Golden Knights on April 1st and then two nights later against the San Jose Sharks. With his team up by only a goal, his late heroics helped secure the two points in each game.
On top of that, in a back-and-fourth battle against the St. Louis Blues on April 9, with the score tied 3-3 and 45 seconds remaining, Pickard made another crucial stop on a partial breakaway by former Oiler Nathan Walker. The play then shifted the other way, with Connor McDavid centring the puck to Connor Brown, who scored the game-winning goal.
All in all, Pickard jumping into a starter role at 32 years old, being nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy, and recently recording his first-ever 20-win season in the NHL—after playing on 12 pro teams since being drafted in 2010, is truly an incredible story. In addition, Connor Brown praised his netminder, postgame against the Blues, saying:
“He’s kind of the heart and soul of our group, we’ve embraced him. He’s shown a lot of perseverance in the way he’s played this year. He gives us some juice and we play well in front of him and he plays well behind us. There’s some serious chemistry.”
By all accounts, it seems Pickard’s teammates believe in him, the netminder believes in himself, and with every win he racks up and clutch save he makes late in the game, I’m starting to believe he’s earned the first crack at starting Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.