Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has to be thrilled watching Bryce Pickford absolutely tear up the junior ranks this season.
The 19-year-old defenseman is putting together a genuinely historic offensive campaign for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
With 43 goals already in the bank across 51 games, he is completely rewriting the expectations for a modern junior blueliner.
He also boasts 36 assists, bringing his overall total to a staggering 79 points before the playoffs even begin.
Those are absurd digits for a rearguard, placing him in extremely rare company across the entire Canadian Hockey League.
Management recognized his massive potential early and officially secured his immediate future back in late December.
The Montreal front office confidently locked the prospect down with a standard three-year entry-level contract.
That new deal carries a highly manageable $940,833 cap hit once he officially makes the permanent jump to the professional ranks.
Career-wise, the former 81st overall draft pick has completely silenced the critics who heavily doubted his ultimate ceiling.
Many amateur scouts viewed him strictly as a late-blooming overage project when he originally slipped into the third round.
Instead, he returned to his junior club with a massive chip on his shoulder and immediately refined his transition game.
Bryce Pickford silences critics with elite WHL production
He now drives consistent offensive output by aggressively jumping into the rush and finding quiet ice in the attacking zone.
The entire Medicine Hat roster benefits significantly from his intense, puck-moving style on a nightly basis.
He routinely establishes controlled entries, which actively prevents the opposition from trapping his unit in the defensive end for exhausting shifts.
Solid execution on the man advantage has rapidly become his absolute calling card during this current dominant stretch of hockey.
The junior coaching staff relies heavily on his crisp passing to open up heavy shooting lanes directly from the point.
He processes the play at an elite speed, consistently beating opposing netminders clean with a remarkably heavy wrist shot.
If he maintains this highly aggressive developmental trajectory through the upcoming spring playoffs, the defensive prospect will demand serious NHL minutes at training camp next fall.
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