When we started writing this blog post, the Edmonton Oilers had a stranglehold on their second-round series against their division rival, the Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers, having lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year by one goal, are on a mission—and that mission is nothing short of lifting the Stanley Cup above their heads.

Stuart Skinner, the Oilers’ starting goaltender, posted an .896 save percentage during the regular season, yet in the team’s 3–0 win in Game 4 of the second round, he looked dominant and more poised than expected. He made 23 saves and picked up his second-ever playoff shutout. After struggling in Games 1 and 2 of the first round against the LA Kings, and again in Game 3 of this series versus Vegas, this kind of bounce-back performance was welcomed by both the team and the fans.

But before Skinner regained the pipes, it was Calvin Pickard’s crease. And what he did with it was nothing short of inspiring.

Before Skinner’s return, Pickard rattled off a 6–0 run in the net, leading the Oilers to a first-round series win against the LA Kings and breathing momentum back into a team that looked flat and overmatched in the early stages of the series. He steadied the team when few others could. He gave them room to breathe. He played, as it turns out, like he always has—relaxed, calm, and unconcerned with the spotlight.

Calvin’s Journey

With four seasons for the Seattle Thunderbirds, 241 games played, and a .909 save percentage, Pickard entered the 2010 NHL Draft ranked as the top North American goaltender. He was selected 49th overall in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche.

His first year of professional hockey saw him post a .918 save percentage and a 2.47 GAA in 47 games for the Lake Erie Monsters. The next season, he followed up with a .906 SV% over 43 games. By 2014–15, Pickard cracked the Avalanche’s NHL roster, getting into 16 games and posting an outstanding .932 save percentage and 2.35 GAA. He continued to split duties with the AHL, putting up a .917 in 50 games that same season.

In 2015–16, he once again posted strong numbers with the Avalanche, earning 7 wins and a .922 SV%. Internationally, he suited up for Team Canada at the World Championships and posted a .971 SV% over two games en route to a gold medal.

The 2016–17 season marked Pickard’s biggest NHL workload, suiting up for 50 games for Colorado. Despite the team’s struggles, he kept a respectable .904 SV%. That year, he returned to the World Championships as Canada’s starter, playing 7 games, posting a .938 save percentage and 1.49 GAA, and capturing a silver medal. His career trajectory, at this point, looked solid. A capable starter on a rebuilding NHL team, a trusted name for Team Canada, and a goaltender who always showed up in tough situations.

Then came the turbulence.

Over the next five seasons, Pickard bounced between the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, the Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, and the Detroit Red Wings. He also played six games overseas with the Vienna Capitals in the ICEHL. The once-promising goalie couldn’t find a permanent NHL home, often posting poor numbers with teams that gave him little to work with.

In 2021–22, he played just three games with Detroit posting an .875 SV%, but showed strong form in the AHL, with a .918 SV% over 43 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

That offseason, the Edmonton Oilers saw something others didn’t. They brought Pickard in to start for their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, where he posted a .912 in 38 games and racked up 23 wins. The message was clear: despite pushing thirty this was no washed-up vet—this was a goalie still capable of delivering.

Over the past two NHL regular seasons, Pickard appeared in 59 games, putting up a .909 and .900 SV% respectively. Always dependable, always ready. But it was in this year’s playoffs that he seized the narrative.

With Skinner faltering early, Pickard stepped in and the Oilers caught fire. Sure, Skinner would regain the crease after an injury sidelined Pickard in the second round, but what Pickard gave the Oilers in his stretch as their starter wasn’t just wins, it was belief.

Pickard’s Motivation

Calvin Pickard was born on April 15, 1992, in Moncton, New Brunswick, and his family relocated to Winnipeg when he was seven. His father, Dan, worked as an air traffic controller. Calvin’s older brother Chet was also a goalie — a first-round NHL draft pick. The Pickards were a hockey family through and through.

“We’re very fortunate to have both boys be as good as they are and for both to be selected by the NHL,” Dan said after Chet was drafted in 2008, and Calvin in 2010. Their mom, Cathy, spent “thousands of hours” driving them to games and practices, something that was never lost on the boys.

Calvin looked up to Chet deeply: “Watching my brother coming up helped me become a [more] composed goalie,” he once said. “I found out early that I just loved pressure. I didn’t over-handle it, didn’t get nervous and was able to stay calm all the time. That’s really helped me.”

That love of pressure has been his edge since day one. “He’s always been on an even keel… it’s all about work and productivity,” his father Dan said. And when asked about how he stayed grounded? “I never stopped believing in myself,” Pickard explained. “If you’re not believing in yourself, you’re not going to be very successful.”

“At the end of the day, you just be the best goalie you can be every day and it will hopefully fall into place,” Pickard told reporters years ago. That mindset has carried him through years in the AHL, waivers, overseas travel, and now — right into the heart of an Oilers playoff run.

Analysis of Pickard’s “Beer League” Style

Watch videos of Pickard playing in the WHL, and you might mistake him for somebody else. As a teenager, Pickard utilized sharp t-pushes and an aggressively wide butterfly in his crease movements; he was quick, reactive, and anticipating moves before the puck carrier had made up their mind.

(Pickard in 2010)

If you watch Pickard closely today, you will see only one of those skills prioritized, and that is his anticipation. Pickard’s wide butterfly went out long ago, and he rarely t-pushes in the wide, quick, but opening-up way he used to. This not only brings less stress on his hips and knees, but also allows him to play a far more controlled game.

One thing we here at Goalie Guru teach to most of our goalies is what we call a power shuffle, and Pickard might be one of the best in the world at it. Sometimes goaltending is about energy consumption: we can’t all be Vasilevskiy pre-back injury. And if you are a goaltender eager to play a full 60 minutes each and every night, I cannot urge you enough to study Pickard’s style.

Calling it a beer league style may come off as an insult, but I call it that simply to illustrate how little pressure he plays under. When you refuse to open up through t-pushes and overextension, the puck has far more available surface area to hit and the net is far more covered. You will almost never see Pickard open up for a desperation save; he leads with his eyes, picks his angle, and makes himself as big as possible as he comes across.

The moment the puck is released, Pickard is in a better spot than his counterparts often find themselves. He almost never beats a puck to its location, and yet this results in him always being on top of it. Stuart Skinner plays like a goalie who has been coached to play a certain way. Calvin Pickard plays like a goaltender who has been coached to stop the puck.

The difference is palpable, as were the results in the first round.

Pickard’s calm presence didn’t just win games—it changed the tempo the Oilers played with. Forwards forechecked harder, defencemen pinched with confidence. The team played like they knew what was behind them.

Of course, Skinner has bounced back after Pickard tweaked something early in round 2 and appears to have taken the crease back from GoalieGuru’s current favourite NHL goalie. But what I perhaps love most about Pickard is that his absence may very well be what motivated the Oilers roster to play so well in front of Stu and close out the series versus Vegas.

Pickard didn’t just keep the Oilers alive—he lit the spark that might carry them to the Cup.

His journey is grounded in a genuine love for hockey and a strong support system. His personal motivations trace back to the joy and challenge of the goalie position. He thrives under pressure and stays level-headed through ups and downs – traits instilled from his youth. His mother’s perspective from draft day — “there’s a long route ahead of them… we’ll see how it all works out” — proved prescient, as Calvin’s career did take a winding path. But through it all, he maintained the work ethic and passion needed to succeed. 

His father Dan often reminded both boys to enjoy the ride; “I end every one of my text messages, ‘Good luck and have fun,’” Dan said of encouraging his sons. That balance of hard work and love of the game is evident in Calvin Pickard’s approach. Even now, as the Edmonton Oilers’ backup goaltender, he remains grateful for every moment in the sport. “I’m blessed to play behind such a good team… it’s an exciting time for sure,” Pickard said after the first round.

His story, from backyard rinks in Winnipeg to the bright lights of the NHL, highlights a commitment to hockey driven not by money or entitlement, but by family, sincere perseverance, and a lifelong passion for the game.

(Pickard after a heroic first round, 2025)

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