Nashville Predators call up Chet Pickard

This just arrived from the Preds:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that goaltender Chet Pickard (CHEHT PIH-kuhrd) has been assigned to the team. The Winnipeg native completed his third professional season with the Predators' ECHL affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones on Sunday.

Pickard, 22 (11/29/89), posted a 14-12-2 record with a 3.12 goals-against average, a .890 save percentage and a shutout with the Cyclones in 2011-12. This is the second time Nashville's second choice, 18th overall (first round), in 2008 Entry Draft has been on the club's active roster - he was recalled on April 27, 2011 and stayed with the team through its Western Conference Semifinals series vs. Vancouver.

I wouldn't get too excited over this, as the idea here undoubtedly is to have Chet take pucks in practice and lighten Pekka Rinne's workload, as was done last season. There's really no glossing over the fact that using a first-round draft pick on a goaltender usually spells trouble, and that's certainly the case here so far.