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Vancouver Canucks reportedly among NHL teams courting Reid this week.
Published Jun 03, 2026 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 2 minute read
Soo Greyhounds defenceman Chase Reid carries the puck along the blueline during OHL playoff action against the London Knights on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at GFL Memorial Gardens. Photo by Bob DaviesArticle content
The Soo Greyhounds will have two representatives at this week’s NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo.
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Chase Reid, NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American defenceman, is joined by forward Colin Fitzgerald among the prospects set to meet with NHL teams this week at KeyBank Center and LECOM HarborCenter.
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The duo is among 20 OHL players invited to the event, which features 90 prospects and runs from June 1-6.
The combine gives all 32 NHL clubs an opportunity to interview, medically evaluate and fitness test many of the top prospects eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, scheduled for June 26-27 at KeyBank Center.
“The NHL Combine is the final showcase event before the NHL Draft, and it’s a week full of interviews, medicals, and fitness testing where the players get to interact with NHL personnel and the NHL clubs get to learn as much as possible about the future stars of our game,” said NHL Central Scouting vice president and director Dan Marr.
Of the 90 invitees, 56 are forwards, 29 are defencemen and five are goaltenders. Each prospect was included in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American and international skaters and goaltenders.
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Coming in at No. 2 among North American skaters and projected as a likely top-five pick, Reid will have plenty of attention from several suitors.
In fact, according to Vancouver radio host Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks are taking the 18-year-old to dinner Thursday night. Vancouver holds the No. 3 pick and have been reportedly interested in Reid for months now.
However, many draft pundits have the San Jose Sharks taking Reid second overall, including Corey Pronman of The Athletic.
Some optimists even believe the American blueliner could go first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which would no doubt shock the hockey world after years of Penn State winger Gavin McKenna being hyped as the consensus top prospect.
Listed at six-foot-two-and-a-half and 195 pounds, Reid recorded 18 goals and 30 assists in 45 games this past season.
Joining Reid among the OHL invitees are several other top-ranked prospects, including Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs), Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit) and Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires), all of whom ranked inside the top 10 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings.
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Soo Greyhounds forward Colin Fitzgerald looks to make a pass during OHL playoff action against the London Knights on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at GFL Memorial Gardens. Photo by Bob Davies
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald comes in at No. 82. He is listed at just under six-foot-two-and-a-half and 211 pounds and recorded 15 goals and 18 assists in 63 games split between the Greyhounds and Peterborough Petes.
Other Sault Ste. Marie players appearing in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings but not at the combine include defencemen Callum Croskery and Harris Pangretitsch, ranked No. 110 and No. 159 among North American skaters, respectively.
Croskery is a skilled defender with offensive upside, listed at almost six-foot-one and 187 pounds. Pangretitsch is a towering rearguard, listed at nearly six-foot-four and 219 pounds.
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