Even before the start of the World Junior Summer Showcase, Seattle Kraken 2026 draft choice Chase Reid was already drawing rave reviews.
Defenseman Reid, Seattle’s 1st round pick last month, practiced with Team USA in Detroit, not far from his childhood home. Starting last Sunday across the border in Windsor, Ont., prospects from four nations are participating in the Showcase, round-robin games used to determine rosters for December’s IIHF World Junior Championship. (More about the WJSS in our story here.)
The Detroit News praised Reid’s performance in a Team USA scrimmage. “The best defenseman may have been Michigan State-bound Chase Reid, whose two-way dynamism played a big part. Reid quarterbacked Team White’s power play. The Seattle Kraken first round draftee is one of seven returners from last year’s squad. Reid scored four points in five games in that tournament, the most of any returner.”
The News predicated Reid would be a top-pairing defenseman for Team USA at the World Juniors. “I think leadership is a big thing,” Reid said. “If we bond as a team before the rest of the teams do, we already have one up on them off the ice. We obviously have a lot of skill and a lot of grit. So it’s just teamwork and bonding in the locker room.”
How Team USA Kraken Prospects Have Fared
In Team USA-White’s 6-4 victory over Sweden on July 27, Reid scored a power-play goal late in the 1st period, rifling a wrist shot from the right circle past the Swedish goalie’s shoulder.
2026 Kraken 2nd round pick Casey Mutryn contributed two assists in Team USA-Blue’s July 26 6-1 win over Sweden. Defenseman Blake Fiddler, taken by Seattle in the 2nd round of the 2025 draft, also played in both Team USA-Blue’s victories. However, Mutryn and Fiddler were both healthy scratches when the Team USA roster was consolidated for the 3-2 loss to Finland on July 29.
Did Teams Drafting Ahead Of Kraken Outsmart Themselves?
People who closely follow hockey prospects were almost universally surprised that Reid was still available for the Kraken to select 7th overall. That surprise extended to those who cover teams picking ahead of the Kraken.
“For the Rangers,” writes Blueline Station, “they had their choice of the top four defenseman once they were on the clock, including Chase Reid, who was seen as the best of the bunch.
“Instead, the Rangers used their pick on Latvia’s Alberts Smits. While Smits was viewed as the most pro-ready, the Rangers were criticized for passing on Reid, who was considered the complete package in terms of defensemen prospects. Reid would drop to the Kraken after the Calgary Flames passed on him in favor of Carson Carels. It will be a decision that follows general manager Chris Drury as these two prospects’ careers progress.”
The site, which called the drafting choice “controversial,” quoted NYR director of pro scouting John Lilley. “Smits was the best player available. We have a process that we go through and build a list throughout the year. There were a lot of great options.”
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken’s Top Pick Joining Exodus From Juniors To College
