As a former first-round pick, Owen Pickering had designs on making the NHL roster in Pittsburgh.

It didn’t work out that way for the 6-foot-4 defenseman, who started the 2025-26 season in the AHL instead. And Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is happy to have him.

Pickering snapped a shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic and into the net to break a third period tie on Saturday night, lifting the Penguins to a 2-1 win over Hartford on opening night at Mohegan Arena.

The goal was the highlight of a solid third period for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which held the Wolf Pack to just five shots in the final 20 minutes and stayed out of the penalty box to start the campaign with a victory.

Promising young goaltender Sergei Murashov shook off a first-period goal and shut down Hartford the

See Full Page