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American blueliner leads all first-year NHL draft-eligible OHL defencemen with 14 points
Published Oct 28, 2025 • Last updated 45 minutes ago • 2 minute read
Soo Greyhounds Chase Reid has been selected to the CHL Top Prospects roster. Photo by JANSON DUENCH/The Sault StarArticle content
Soo Greyhounds defenceman Chase Reid has been selected to represent the CHL at next month’s 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, a two-game series that will see top NHL draft-eligible players from across Canada face off against the U.S. national under-18 team.
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Reid, 17, is among seven defencemen named to Team CHL, which features 22 of the top prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft.
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The Soo blueliner has been a rock on the Greyhounds’ back end this season, leading all first-year NHL draft-eligible OHL defencemen with 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) in 15 games. Across the CHL, only Blainville-Boisbriand Armada’s Xavier Villeneuve has more points (22) among draft-eligible defenders.
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge, introduced last year, serves as a high-profile showcase ahead of the NHL draft. Last year, 16 of the 22 players who represented Team CHL were selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, including the Greyhounds’ Brady Martin (fifth overall).
For the Greyhounds, Reid’s selection adds to what has already been a strong start to the season for the young defender, who continues to draw attention from NHL scouts for his all-situations play, elite skating ability, and poise under pressure.
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The Michigan State commit burst onto the junior hockey scene last season after starting the campaign in the NAHL. In short order, Reid became the Greyhounds’ No. 1 blueliner, scoring 40 points in 39 games.
Reid picked up where he left off this season, logging heavy minutes for the Greyhounds, often up to half a game per night. With multiple injuries hitting the defensive corps early in the year, his stamina has been put to the test, as has his ability to consistently drive play under constant pressure from opposing teams’ best forwards.
Frequent opponents on a night-to-night basis include the Windsor Spitfires’ Ethan Belchetz and the Saginaw Spirit’s Nikita Klepov, two divisional rival forwards headlining the offence for Team CHL.
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Through it all, Reid has maintained an impressive standard of play.
Head coach John Dean recently lamented after their 4-2 loss to the Sudbury Wolves on Oct. 17 that his team “really leaned on Chase to generate all of our offence,” a testament to the young rearguard’s ability to quarterback and even dictate his team’s play.
Reid’s agent, Kevin Magnuson, told The Sault Star in September that he “has all the goods to play pro hockey for a long time.”
The CHL roster — made up of players from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL — was selected in consultation with all 32 NHL clubs, led by Team CHL general manager Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs) and head coach Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers).
“The CHL USA Prospects Challenge is a tremendous opportunity for our top draft-eligible players to compete against elite competition from the U.S. national under-18 team while showcasing the strength of our player development system,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie in a statement.
The event, hosted by the Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes, takes place Nov. 25 at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome and Nov. 26 at Lethbridge’s VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
Both games will be broadcast live across Canada on TSN at 8 p.m. ET.
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