Kraken take defenseman Chase Reid with No. 7 pick in NHL Draft

The Seattle Kraken selected defenseman Chase Reid from the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds in the first round with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.

Reid, 18, was considered one of the top overall players in this year’s draft. He was ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 defenseman in the draft class by Elite Prospects.

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Reid, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound right-shot blueliner, is the first defenseman taken in the first round by the Kraken in franchise history.

A Chesterfield, Mich., native, Reid netted 18 goals and dished out 40 assists in 45 games for the Greyhounds this past season. He finished second among OHL blueliners averaging 1.07 points per contest and earned OHL First All-Star Team honors. Reid added three goals and three assists in 10 playoff games.

In his rookie OHL season in 2024-25, Reid had seven goals and 33 assists over 39 games while being named to the OHL’s All-Rookie first team.

He also competed for the Team USA’s U-20 squad at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, notching two goals and two assists over five games while helping the Americans to a fifth-place finish.

Reid is committed to play college hockey at Michigan State University.

Below is a look at what NHL Central Scouting had to say about Reid.

A take-charge type of defenseman that dictates the game. … Not afraid to mix it up and play physical. … The complete package.

Find the full results from the first round of the draft here. Rounds 2-7 take place Saturday starting at 8 a.m. Seattle has one second-round pick (No. 38), two fourth-rounders (Nos. 99 and 102), one sixth-rounder (No. 166) and two seventh-rounders (Nos. 198 and 204) on Saturday.

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