Kings select forward James Reeder (Round 7, Pick 198)

The LA Kings selected forward James Reeder with their third selection on Day 2 of the 2024 NHL Draft. Going in the seventh round at 198th overall, Reeder joins the team’s stable of prospects as a highly-skilled offensive player who is set to join the University of Denver for his freshman season in 2024-25 after completing his junior career with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL.

The Vitals
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
DOB: October 6, 2005
Height: 5-10
Weight: 170
Hometown: Glenview, Illinois
NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 92 (North American Skaters)
Eliteprospects.com Final Ranking: 107
Draft Prospects Hockey Final Ranking: 105
McKeen’s Hockey Final Ranking: 188
Stats (Dubuque, USHL): 53 GP, 20G, 40A, 60PTS, 30PIM, +11

What The Experts Said

Elite Prospects Draft Guide
Reeder’s a high-pace, dynamic winger who fearlessly drives the middle. The give-and-go is his play, shifting the defence before passing to create more space for his target. He fakes before cutting inside, cuts back and uses the trailer, and, if all else fails, his pace and motor allow him to outrace the defence

Kyle Peirera, FC Hockey
He’s such a good playmaker and has such a high end ability of reading the play. He’s underrated for his size, and that’s the biggest reason he isn’t highly rated. Despite his size, his vision and passing skills still shine bright. I do think the size element is a bit overblown, and in this case it truly is.

Recruit Scouting
Reeder is another fan-favorite. He’s a hard-nosed forward who’s shown no hesitation in driving into the corners or engaging along the boards. That’s helped along by great hockey IQ, helping Reeder uniquely position himself to impact play. Reeder is also impressively patient on the puck and takes his time to open lanes and find opponents. However, I think his puck skills and downhill speed need a boost before he’s able to match his role at the next level. As it stands, I worry his current style may be just a little too slow. But Reeder figured out the USHL quickly, and with how smart of a player he is – I imagine he’ll figure out college quickly too. We’ll see more clearly what kind of player he can be when he moves to Denver.

EP Rinkside
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding James Reeder this year, who came into the USHL last season with a fair amount of hype. The undersized forward plays with a ton of speed, which serves him well on both sides of the puck. He’s taken a stride this year and been especially hot of late, with 7 points in his last 5 games and 11 in his last 10. Reeder leverages his motor to anticipate passes and angle opponents outside on the forecheck. His size sometimes inhibits his ability to work the puck into high-danger spaces off the rush, but he’s deft at moving the puck early and using speed to beat defenders into space for return passes. If adds to his frame at Denver, Reeder’s got a ceiling that could merit a late-round pick come draft time. 

Quick Take – Reeder racked up 60 points during the regular season while wearing a letter for Dubuque and helped the club to the Clark Cup Final with five points in 11 games where they lost to the Fargo Force and LA prospect Hampton Slukynsky. Described as someone who is gifted offensively, Reeder is said to have great vision and can distribute the puck. He will join the University of Denver and Kings prospect Jared Wright this season, a team that is coming off a National Championship performance at the Frozen Four in April. Reeder was also named the 2024 USHL Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has been invited to USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp and Summer Showcase in July and August in preparation for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships.

James Reeder 🎥 pic.twitter.com/vvjQ1K9BOK

— USHL (@USHL) June 11, 2024