What makes Chase Reid the top defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft?

Jun 11, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 9, 2026, 16:43 EDT

What makes Chase Reid the top defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft?

Credit: Steven Ellis

There isn’t a more interesting position in the 2026 NHL Draft than defense.

At the start of the year, Keaton Verhoeff felt like the safest pick to be the first blueliner off the board. Then, we saw names like Alberts Smits, Daxon Rudolph, and Carson Carels emerge. By Christmas, though, one name looked like a legitimate contender to dethrone Gavin McKenna as the top prospect, period.

Chase Reid.

Reid’s rise to top prospect stardom is fascinating. At the start of 2024-25, Reid – who was cut from the USHL – was with the NAHL’s Bismarck Bobcats. The NAHL is a Tier II junior hockey league – a step below the USHL. And as a 2007-born player (born in December), most other kids his age were gearing up for the 2025 NHL Draft by playing against tougher competition. By all accounts, Reid wasn’t on many teams’ radars ahead of 2026. There were some who thought he’d get drafted, for sure. But it wasn’t until December of 2024 that things changed.

Reid joined the Greyhounds – who selected him in the seventh round in 2023 – while Andrew Gibson found himself at Canada’s junior camp. It didn’t take long for Reid to find his footing – despite the Greyhounds not being a true contender, Reid had eight points in his first eight games before Gibson returned to the lineup. The points kept coming, and by the end of the year, Reid had seven goals and 40 points in 39 regular season games.

So, to recap: after getting cut from the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL, Reid used an opportunity at a lower level to thrust himself into the spotlight. Suddenly, scouts were talking about Reid as a potential first-round pick after about three months.

Fast forward to the NHL Draft Combine last week. Most scouts agree Reid is the best defenseman available this year and the top candidate to go second overall to the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have to truly believe he’s the best player available to pass up on someone like Ivar Stenberg. But given the needs of the Sharks, and Reid’s relative success this year, it’s not a hard case to make right now. Some scouts say Reid’s potential was always there. But now, the whole world has taken notice.

“I think I’ve overcome a lot of adversity in my career,” Reid said during the combine. “I think coaches can throw me out there in any situation that they want to, any opportunity that presents itself on the ice, I can run a power play. Yeah, I think my skating separates me in a tremendous way to be able to play big roles in big minutes as well.”

Reid’s production might not look attractive by any means. But any Soo Greyhouns fan would point to him being the most important player most nights. Brady Martin is the team’s top NHL prospect, but he only played 24 games between injury and some time with the Nashville Predators. Reid ultimately finished fourth in scoring on the Greyhounds with 18 goals and 48 points in 35 games. Again, not crazy whatsoever. But he also played 26 minutes a night and was relied on in all situations.

Had Reid played on, say, the Brantford Bulldogs, we’re probably talking about another 20-30 points.

Reid checks all the boxes you’d want in a potential No. 1 D-man. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, that’s a good frame to work with. He’s also a right-shot defender – you’ve probably heard teams value that. He’s also an outstanding skater – maybe the best of any top defender in the class. He has a remarkable shot, and he seems to think the game at such an advanced level. Reid rarely makes a bad pass, and he’s so elusive when he’s skating around with the puck at speed. So much of his defense is making sure he contains the puck as much as possible, giving opponents so little to work with.

Size? Check. Skating? You bet. Skill? In spades.

“I got to play him a lot,” Windsor Spitfires forward Ethan Belchetz said. “He’s an awesome dude. He’s so skilled, so smart. You always know when he’s on the ice.”

Defensively, Reid relies on his fluid skating to handle aggressive gaps and force forwards to the perimeter. He’s the best at turning defense into offense, using his raw, physical strength and reach to kill plays to trigger a counter-attack. Reid’s natural composure and high-level processing speed are absolutely top in the class among any defenseman. And those are traits scouts crave – they need to know their defender won’t be frazzled under pressure and can turn a bad play into an effective scoring chance.

Reid doesn’t have many off nights. At his best, he’s capable of shooting from everywhere and taking space away. At his worst, he can handle shutdown duties and still eat a ton of minutes. Even when his team is clearly out of a game, you can guarantee a full effort out of Reid.

“I think Chase proved himself as a pretty elite player and dominated in the OHL this year,” Caleb Malhotra said. “He’s got a lot of great attributes. I think his skating is probably his biggest one. He’s really elusive, really fast, especially on the blueline. He’s very dynamic.”

Between his outstanding shot, diverse skillset and incredible mobility, Reid is the best defensive prospect in this draft class. Odds are he’ll be a top-pairing defenseman quite quickly once he makes the NHL. While some might suggest Alberts Smits is more NHL-ready, I’d argue Reid is the closest among defensemen in this class. He’s committed to Michigan State University – will he go, or will the team that selects him sign him immediately? There’s a good argument for either direction.

Regardless, Reid is so fascinating. He’s the most rounded defender in this class. His game has come a long way over the past two seasons – from playing in a 1,300-seat rink in Bismarck, N.D., to dominating the draft headlines. Not to mention, he was the USA’s top defenseman at the World Juniors just a few months after getting cut from the U-18 team. Whenever Reid has needed to prove himself, he has delivered in a big way.

And, who knows? Maybe there’s another element of his game he has yet to unlock. Wouldn’t that be something? At this point, don’t bet against Chase Reid.

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