Top 25 Sharks Under 25: No. 21 Scott Reedy has room to develop

In his first year as a professional hockey player, Scott Reedy has already made a trip to the big club.

Reedy is a homegrown talent, in the sense that he was drafted in the fourth round by San Jose, 102 overall. Following the draft, Reedy went the collegiate route and joined the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers as a freshman. He scored 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) and added 43 penalty minutes during his freshman year, but regressed in his sophomore season. Reedy found his rhythm in his later seasons, finishing his senior year at Minnesota with 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 28 games.

His senior season ended on March 28, 2021, when U of M was ousted from the NCAA West Regional by Minnesota State. A few days later, Reedy signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks and joined the Barracuda to finish out the AHL season.

Reedy played 17 regular season games with the Barracuda in 2021, scoring 5 goals and registering 8 points. He played four playoff games that season and netted a single assist.

His limited time with the Barracuda left a lot of questions entering this season’s training camp. As a center, Reedy was one of the contenders for the fourth-line role on the Sharks. He performed well in his first rookie faceoff in September, but was leap-frogged on the depth chart by Jasper Weatherby, who seemed to come out of nowhere NHL-ready.

Reedy was ultimately sent down before the start of the season to spend some time with the Barracuda.

The young center received his first taste of NHL play on Nov. 22, 2021, against the Carolina Hurricanes. He didn’t make it on the scoreboard and played just 15 shifts for 10:56 of ice time. Reedy was utilized even less in his second game on Nov. 24, 2021, against the Ottawa Senators. On that night, he received just 8 shifts and 7:05.

In January, he played a three-game stint with the Sharks, but did not manage to register a point. He did, however, receive more ice time from head coach Bob Boughner.

Reedy has spent most of his time this season with the Barracuda and is doing well. He has tallied 18 goals and 9 assists in 35 games. Of those 27 points, 10  were on the power play. If there’s one point of concern in his game it might be his plus/minus. He’s minus-21 this season for the Barracuda, tied with John Leonard for second-worse on the team.

Though Reedy has yet to play at the NHL level enough to get a true read on him, he is considered an asset to the prospect pool. In May 2021, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz spoke to one scout who said Reedy had a “mature game,” that he was “responsible in his own end” and had “good work habits.”

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman in his annual prospect pool ranking considered Reedy a player with potential, saying, “Reedy is a big forward with good puck skills who can shoot it well, but lacks NHL footspeed.”

What We Like

Reedy is a big body and he knows how to use it. He has the ability to go into the corners to retrieve the puck and he can park himself in front of the net when he needs to. He drives to the net (see the 4:16 mark of the clip below) and he knows how to use his body to make plays.

The Sharks need a fourth-line center and Reedy could be the guy to fill that role in the next year or two. Reedy makes smart plays, and while his game isn’t always flashy and he’s not always the most skilled player on the ice, he is responsible with the puck. He knows how to make the play that will put his team and his teammates in the best position.

With a few more years of seasoning, Reedy could be a strong middle- or bottom-six forward for San Jose.

Areas of Improvement

Reedy’s biggest challenge at this point is going to be learning to play the game at the professional level. While his size is well suited for the NHL, his skill level still needs to take another step forward. He may be able to make up for some of that lack of skill with hockey prowess, but that’s yet to be seen.

Reedy looked a little more prepared in his second stint with the Sharks back in January. It will be interesting to see if there is another step forward in development if he gets another shot later this season.

Since this is his first year as a professional hockey player, we have not seen enough of him yet. He’s still a relative unknown.

Highlight

Many of the highlights of Reedy are a few years old, which may not be a good sign. Of course, it could just be a result of COVID’s impact on college hockey and the ability to watch the games.

This highlight from Reedy’s sophomore season with the Golden Gophers shows that he is a player that is not afraid to go hard to the net. Reedy scored a hat trick against Ferris State on Dec. 28, 2018 and all of his goals were scored from right in front of the goaltender.