Chet Pickard: Nashville Predators Rookie Camp Preview

by Dirk Hoag on Sep 9, 2011 9:54 PM EDT in Nashville Predators Prospects

Nashville Predators Rookie Camp begins on September 10th, so to help you get ready we'll walk our way through the prospects, from youngest to oldest.

Chet Pickard - #37

Born: November 29, 1989 From: Moncton, N.B.

Height: 6-2 Weight: 206 Catches: Left

2010-2011 Team: Milwaukee (AHL)/Cincinnati (ECHL)

Stats: 9-14-3, .877 Save %, 3.39 GAA (Cincinnati)

Drafted: 2008 1st round (18)

Follow after the jump for some background!

Scouting Report

Here's how The Goalie Guild saw Pickard stacking up relative to Pekka Rinne last summer:

Pickard has to carve his own path, but Nashville will side with Rinne long term since he’s already established. I think some of Pickard’s flaws are his complacency and mobility. He’s a bigger goalie that relies on his size to get body parts behind pucks. It’s the polar opposite of Rinne, who tries to go out and stop everything. Pickard likes to let pucks hit him and then react from there. He’s still capable of being a "franchise" goalie because Pickard has awesome durability and technique. When the foundation is there, anything is possible over the course of two or three seasons. So it’s impossible to judge their ability’s ceiling or floor. It really just depends on each and every game they play. I like his confidence level and his mental toughness but he needs to speed up his footwork if he wants to be effective in the NHL.

During the 2010-2011 season, Pickard went through an extremely rough patch, going months without a win for Milwaukee, and getting sent down to the ECHL for a while to sort things out.

Arbitrary nickname we'll give him even though he'd probably hate it

With a name like Chet Pickard, there's no need for a nickname in Nashville - he fits as naturally as Vern Fiddler.

Video

Cue the highlight reel! The Milwaukee Admirals are pretty good about posting stuff on YouTube:

What's at stake

The development path for goaltenders is often long and unpredictable, which is why it's risky to use a high draft pick on one as the Preds did here. While his horrid 2010-2011 season is concerning, what's even more important is how he responds to that adversity going forward as he faces a 3-way battle for what are likely two roster spots in Milwaukee. We'll get a good look at how he handles that pressure over the next couple weeks.

Poll

Who do you think will earn the starter's job in Milwaukee?

Atte Engren

22 votes

Chet Pickard

29 votes

Jeremy Smith

47 votes

98 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 6 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

First of all the Ads are fantastic at posting video. Thanks to them for that.

Second, Josh Cooper had his piece on Pickard in the Tennessean today, including this quote from Mitch Korn:

"I saw in him on the ice something I had never seen," goaltending coach Mitch Korn said. "He was really, really good. He really was. And we hadn’t seen that in awhile from him. I think that really changed everything for him."

I still predict Smith to get the starter job in Milwaukee, but Pickard may impress enough to stick with the Ads depending on how Engren’s doing.

Of course, if someone could get me some video instead of razzing me (SWFP, I’m looking at you) I’d be ever so grateful. :)

R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, and Boogaard.

by CAustin on Sep 9, 2011 10:22 PM EDT reply actions

But thanks to Dirk for this video. I didn’t mean to sound ungracious. I would like something more current, though, if anyone is going to the rookie camp.

R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, and Boogaard.

by CAustin on Sep 9, 2011 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions

a question:

I know there are some around these parts that think Lindback should be the starter in Milwaukee (allowing him to get more playing time) This would leave the other three to duke it out for the backup position with the big boys. Anyone have any new thoughts on this? That would also necessitate another option for the poll (!!)

by Tim P on Sep 9, 2011 11:08 PM EDT reply actions

Lindy probably gets quite a bit out of watching and practicing with Pekka, since they are so similar biomechanically as well as in the choices they make. The starts would be good, but he’d probably gain the most of the four from being on the Nashville bench .

Smith isn’t really ready to do more than emergency duty up here (the starts in Milwaukee will do him a lot of good, too) , so if Peks went down Lindy would be back in Nashville, lickety-split, anyways. Why not just leave him up here. let him have 25 or so starts, and let Peks get the rest he needs?

R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, and Boogaard.

by CAustin on Sep 10, 2011 6:56 AM EDT up reply actions