A key storyline to follow in the 2024-25 season: the development of 2022 first round pick Owen Pickering. The lanky blueliner almost certainly ends up in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to adjust to the professional level and continue to fill out a 6’5″ frame. Pickering failed to make a jump in production from 45 points 61 games in 2022-23 to 46 points in 59 games last season–16th among all blueliners in the WHL, but improved from a -5 to a +18 plus/minus rating. Given the size and raw skill of Pickering, the opportunity to debut at the NHL level for a brief stint exists.