Your next NHL star might be a Soo Hound nobody saw coming
Bonjour from the North — three cities, one corridor, and the stories that don't make it south of Barrie. You know, we talk a lot about the big names, the guys everyone expects to go high in the draft. But sometimes, a player comes along that just makes you go, "Wait, *where* did he come from?" That's Chase Reid, a defenceman for our own Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and his story is making some serious noise at the NHL scouting combine.
### The Unconventional Path
This kid, Reid, he wasn't on everyone's radar from day one. He’s been described as having an "unconventional rise," and that's putting it mildly. He didn't come up through the usual channels, the perfect trajectory everyone expects. He played Junior C, then Junior B, and then made the jump to the Soo Greyhounds. That's not the path to the NHL you hear about every day, especially not for a guy who's now considered a serious prospect. He's been in Buffalo, chatting with teams alongside Caleb Malhotra from the Brantford Bulldogs, and scouts are clearly fascinated by what they see.
* **Humble Beginnings:** Junior C and B hockey are a grind, a proving ground for players who maybe get overlooked in the bigger leagues. * **The Greyhound Effect:** Playing for the Soo Greyhounds, in a city that breathes hockey, is a huge step up. The coaching, the exposure – it’s a different world. * **Scout Fascination:** His journey itself is a story. Teams want to know about that drive, that resilience, the mental toughness to climb the ranks.
It’s a classic Sault Ste. Marie story, really. A lot of us here, we know what it’s like to work hard, to prove ourselves when maybe others don't expect it. Algoma Steel was built on that kind of grit, that determination. Seeing a young man from our town, playing for our team, taking that same spirit to the NHL combine? *Man*, that feels good. It tells you that even if you don't fit the mold, if you put in the work, good things can happen. It's a reminder that talent isn't just found in the biggest cities or the most obvious places – sometimes you gotta look a little deeper, eh?
Marc-André Desjardins, Sault Ste. Marie, MiTL Sports Desk.
You want more of this kind of talk? My pals on the morning show, they're always digging into the local stories that matter. You can catch them live at mornings.live.