Photo by ArtBrom, CC BY-SA 2.0
Calvin Pickard
Minnesota Wild Goaltender #31
A career backup having a bad year in a small sample, on his sixth organisation.
| Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | COL | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 35 | 2.35 | 0 | 511 | .931 |
| 2015-16 | COL | 20 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 42 | 2.56 | 1 | 539 | .922 |
| 2016-17 | COL | 50 | 15 | 31 | 2 | 140 | 2.98 | 2 | 1461 | .904 |
| 2017-18 | TOR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3.83 | 0 | 28 | .857 |
| 2018-19 | PHI/ARI | 17 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 48 | 3.86 | 1 | 384 | .875 |
| 2019-20 | DET | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 5.46 | 0 | 74 | .797 |
| 2020-21 | DET | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.16 | 0 | 127 | .874 |
| 2021-22 | DET | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4.30 | 0 | 72 | .875 |
| 2023-24 | EDM | 23 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 53 | 2.45 | 1 | 581 | .909 |
| 2024-25 | EDM | 36 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 85 | 2.71 | 0 | 849 | .900 |
| 2025-26 | EDM | 16 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 53 | 3.68 | 0 | 410 | .871 |
| 2026-27 so far | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | — | 191 | 74 | 77 | 14 | 500 | 2.96 | 5 | 5036 | .901 |
This Season So Far
The 2026-27 season has not started. The empty row above is his, and both it and this paragraph fill in on their own from the morning after he first plays: what he has done, what it is worth against his own last season, and the run he is on when the two disagree.
Last Season
16 games, a .871 save percentage and a 3.68 goals-against average, going 5-6-2. That is poor, and it is 16 games — a stretch that would barely register inside a starter’s season.
The Physical Game
6-1, which is small for the modern position, and he compensates with a compact, technical style. He is square and quiet when things are going well and has to move a great deal when they are not, because there is less of him to hit.
Rebound control is ordinary. Traffic is a problem, as it is for most goaltenders his size, and last season’s number reflects both that and a limited workload behind a team that was not defending well by the time he played.
The Mental Game
He has been a third goaltender, a backup and an emergency starter across a decade, which requires a particular temperament — he goes a month without a game and then plays one. There is no evidence of that bothering him.
The Intangibles
Career numbers of .901 across 191 games describe exactly what he is: a competent third option who can win a game he has no business winning and lose one he should not.
At 34, with 2 younger goaltenders ahead of him, his job is to be available and not to be needed.
The numbers underneath
Recent form
Last 16 appearances, 2025-26, oldest first
.889
save percentage over his last 8, on 216 shots · .871 across these 16
Each bar is one appearance, taller being a better save percentage. Filled bars are .920 or better.