Cameron Reid is a potential first-round pick in the 2025 draft, and he has a great mentor, fellow St Thomas native, and the Sharks' great Joe Thronton. "He works hard, and he's a huge motivation, especially where I'm from," Reid said. "I just love to look his way and take little things from what he does, not just in hockey but in his daily life."
Reid, a defenseman, plays for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL and is projected to go in the second half of the first round later this month. At 5'11", he is generally viewed as going in the late teens or early 20s in the draft. However, Reid is undersized. We have seen smaller defenders fall in the draft over the last couple of years, so he could very well be in play for the Sharks with the Dallas pick or in a reasonable range of a small trade-up.
Reid is a dynamic skater who excels in the breakout and is more of a two-way defender than a pure offensive type. Eliteprospects had this to say about Reid in their 2025 Draft Guide,
“At the point, Reid can catch low-to-high passes in crossovers toward the middle, beat an approaching defender, and drive down the wing for a shot or a slot pass. Once he imbalances defenders with a change-of-direction feint, they have no chance of catching him, his explosive skating carrying him past them in a second. His skating ability also fuels his breakout game. He can retrieve pucks, shake forechecking pressure using his edges and the net, and carry the puck out.”
Reid put up 54 points in 67 games for the Rangers this season, solid production for a draft-eligible defenseman; he will need to improve his offensive consistency next season as being 5’11, it is an uphill battle to make the NHL if he can't contribute offensively at his size at a pro level, even if it's not impossible. His intriguing upside should make him a first-round pick, and he would bring an element the Sharks could use on the backend. His connection to Joe Thronton would be icing on the cake for the Sharks.