The San Jose Sharks have a killer group of young forwards that have made them the deepest prospect pool in the NHL. With Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Quentin Musty, Kasper Halttunen, Collin Graf, Filip Bystedt and more, the Sharks are the envy of many an NHL general manager. In the net, Yaroslav Askarov appears to be the goaltender of the future with Joshua Ravensbergen and Christian Kirsch there to catch him if he falls.
What Team Teal does not have is a top-of-the-line defenseman to complete the package. With the second overall pick in this year’s draft, the team has the opportunity to get just that. Forward Gavin McKenna is expected to go number one overall, which means that every single defenseman in the draft is up for grabs and the Sharks can pick any single one the team wants.
In a previous post, we explored what would happen if General Manager Mike Grier chose forward Ivar Stenberg, who many consider to be the best player available (BPA) after McKenna. However, it’s certainly possible that Grier and his team see little difference between Stenberg and some of the top defensemen available in this draft. Which is how we end up looking at a player like Chase Reid.
Chase Reid, D – Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2.5
Weight: 190 pounds
Age/DOB: 18, Dec. 30, 2007
Shoots: Right
Soo Greyhounds (OHL): 45 games, 48 points (18 G, 30 A)
Soo Greyhounds (OHL Playoffs): 10 games, 6 points (3 G, 3 A)
USA U20 World Junior Championship: 5 games, 4 points (2 G, 2 A)
One of a handful of players that the Sharks took out to dinner at the NHL Draft Combine, Reid has definitely put himself on the Sharks’ radar. Not only is he projected as a top-five pick by most scouts, but he has the one attribute that most San Jose defensemen are currently lacking — he shoots from the right side.
Reid had a good season with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL. He averaged more than a point per game, scoring 48 points in 45 games and then adding six more points in 10 playoff games. He also averaged nearly 30 minutes per game for the Soo.
The case against Reid
One of the arguments against Reid is reduced competition. This is the first season in which players from the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) have been allowed to transfer from their CHL teams to the NCAA. As a result, some of the top players, like McKenna, Porter Martone and Keaton Verhoeff left their juniors teams to join the NCAA in 2025-26. While not everyone left, some argue that the competition was not as “tough” in the OHL this season compared to past seasons.
Like many highly skilled young players, Reid tries to do a lot with the puck, so he makes a lot of mistakes. He’s prone to risky plays and turnovers. Watching the San Jose Sharks this season, fans know a lot about this. Reid is no different, and it’s an aspect of his game that needs to be cleaned up.
The case for Reid
This kid is a workhorse. If you think he came out of nowhere, you’d be right. In a really good article by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, he talks about how the 18-year-old was cut from his Tier I USHL team in 2024 and knocked down to Tier II NAHL hockey. Two years later, not only is Reid coming out of the OHL as a point-per-game player, but he’s taking on top-pairing minutes.
At least one scout has compared him to Noah Dobson, a puck-moving defenseman that the Sharks could certainly use right now. He’s projected to be a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL, which is another plus in his favor, though we’ll admit that all the defensemen that we’re looking at with the second overall pick are projected as top-pairing defensemen.
What the scouts say about Reid
Reid tops The Athletic’s Corey Pronman’s list of 2026 prospects, ahead of Alberts Smits, Keaton Verhoeff, Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.
“Reid is a talented defenseman with a lot of offensive tools. He has the speed, hands, vision and shot to generate chances and be a leading scorer for an NHL team,” writes Pronman. “Reid can create in transition and off the blue line with his feet and creativity, showing high-end improvisation skills. Reid isn’t overly physical, but he works hard enough and makes plenty of stops due to his reach, feet and compete level even while playing an aggressive style of play offensively. He projects as a major minutes NHL defenseman who can run a first power play.”
FloHockey’s Chris Peters projects Reid to be a top-pairing defenseman and number one power play guy.
“Reid has the size, athleticism and skating ability to be a real difference maker. His hockey sense has come along, while his defending continues to improve,” writes Peters. “He’s going to need a year or two more before he can step into an NHL lineup, but his skill level and growing hockey sense lead me to believe he’s got the potential to become a reliable top-pairing defenseman and power-play leader. Reid’s slotting is much more based on projection than hard evidence, but the combination of skill, skating and size makes him difficult to pass up.”
Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala isn’t as high on Reid, ranking him as sixth in his group of draft prospects behind defenseman Keaton Verhoeff.
“Reid is a smooth-skating, right-shot defenceman who has earned the right to be one of the top draft picks in this class,” writes Bukala. “Reid is an elite skater who can lead the rush on his own, joins the rush off the puck as an extra layer offensively, and closes on opponents effectively when gapping up to kill plays before opponents enter his zone. Reid is scheduled to attend Michigan State in the fall.”
Conclusion
Given the range in which the top scouts have the top prospects spread out, it’s easy to see why Grier might also have his draft board spread out differently than we’re guessing. We’ll have to trust that GMMG’s team is doing its due diligence and making the right moves. So far, its history has held true, and so I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt.
As for Reid, he’s committed to play for Michigan State University next season, which, for a Boston guy like Grier, might be a knock against the kid. That said, there’s a lot to like about a right-shot defenseman who can move the puck and gobble up minutes. Reid checks a lot of boxes for the Sharks.
With the top five or so players in the draft closely bunched together skill-wise, it’s possible we’ll hear Reid’s name called by the Sharks on draft day. Just remember, if his name is called, he’s likely not jumping to the NHL right away. He’s expected to play in the NCAA for at least one season before any team considers bringing him up.
Previous Fear the Fin Draft Preview Posts:
2026 NHL Draft: The case for Ivar Stenberg
