St. Louis Bruce 2025 Draft Goal: Cameron Reed – Hockey Writer – St. Louis Bruce
St. Louis Blues won the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, which will be held in Los Angeles from June 27 to 28. Last year, general manager Doug Armstrong selected Czech defensive Adam Jiricek and drafted with the 16th pick; this year, if Bruce chooses another defensive player, Cameron Reid should be a target.
Cameron Reed’s reconnaissance report
2024-25 Statistics (Kitchener Rangers, Western Hockey League): 67 games – 14 goals, 40 assists, 54 points
Reid is probably one of the most underrated left-handed defenders in the draft, probably due to his 6-foot and 190-pound size. However, his figure wasn’t a problem for him, as he used it to his advantage, mainly on skating. He moves quickly and is always willing to attack to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.
This has benefited the Kitchener Rangers on the power play, as THW’s own Jordan Orth mentions in his player profile that Reid is an “absolute force on the power play, quarterbacking the Rangers’ first unit and putting up the sixth-most power-play assistants among defensemen in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) behind players like Henry Mews, Zayne Parekh, and Emil Pieniniemi.”
You would also think that players of his size wouldn’t be as good as defensively, but Reed is the opposite. In almost all the defensive games he did, he closed the gap and denied his opponent’s chances. He can combine his excellent skating ability with his physical body to delay his opponent. Additionally, Reid has a great defensive IQ and always be where he faces offensive threats in his area. He is patient and doesn’t crack under pressure when he plays hockey or is in the defensive zone.
What others say to Reed
“Cameron Reid continued to fly under the radar throughout the year of the draft. He was one of the most productive defenders in the OHL as he ranked ninth among defenders with 50 points in 61 games, which was his simple style and execution, but his defenders really made me feel very nervous. The ability to play effectively or break the game. – Hockey writer Peter Baracchini
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Guide
“Another player who may end up being higher than that ranking suggests. It’s been an interesting year for the defense. Reid is a great hockey promoter who skates like the wind. These two key elements make him ranked best in this class.” – Sam Consentino, SportsNet
“Reid is a very smart, smooth defender who uses his mobility and quick handling to make a positive impact on both ends of the ice despite the lack of physical condition of other large few guards. He is an excellent skateboarder with strong four-way action ability, leveraging his agility to create space to stand out in the offensive zone, where he is not strong on offense, he is not strong on offense. Probably playing odd numbers on his own blue line. – Joseph Aleong, Football Hockey
Reid’s position in the foreground pool of blues
The Blues have many outstanding left-handed defensive players in their prospect pool, including Michael Businger, Theo Lindstein, Quinton Burns and Lucas Fischer. Of all these defenders, the only one who was selected in the first round was Lindstein, so drafting Reed would add more first round talent to the group. Although the Blues have been working hard to achieve power, in the grand scheme of things, Reed seems to be a player who can be solved from the defensive end and can also be a leader. And, the Blues have no defensive identities, which is why their defensive ranks so low. Reid can help reverse this narrative.
The only problem is finding the REID on the roster. Lindstein, who plays a similar style, is not even part of the Blues’ American Hockey League (AHL) branch, Springfield Thunderbirds. Instead, he was on loan, staying with Swedish Hockey League (SHL) club Brynas.
Lindstein also did not receive an entry-level contract (ELC) until a year after he was selected, so Reid will have to wait for the ELC ink with Blues, which also means he will have to wait until he becomes a professional and won’t start in the NHL right away. But this should give him time to fix his shot selection and get a sense of consciousness.
Should Bruce put their picks on Reed?
All the defensive hits and mistakes in the first round against the Winnipeg Jets in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are very needed. The team is at the best position at the 19th pick, while Reid is expected to be between 15 and 23rd.
His skating ability is too good to be eliminated, and he is probably one of the best skating defenders in this draft. Similarly, while his shooting and awareness are a problem, some fine tuning in his development process can solve these minor problems. If he is indeed a perfect guy, Reed can join some of the great two-way skilled skating defenders in the NHL, such as Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson, to name just a few.
