Brock Otten's take on the top OHL prospects for the NHL 2025 draft;
9. Cameron Reid - Defense - Kitchener Rangers
I think what was most impressive about Reid is that he improved every month of his rookie season with the Rangers, finishing the season as a critical component on a team with strong playoff aspirations. He's a strong skater. He makes a good exit pass. He keeps his head on a swivel. He defends pace well with good gap control and an active stick. He has good defensive instincts. There's a lot to like at both ends of the ice. That was fully on display at the recent Hlinka/Gretzky too, where Reid was a fairly solid presence for Team Canada. I've said before that I felt like Reid had higher offensive potential than Matt Schaefer, but I'm not sure I believe that anymore. That doesn't mean that Reid can't be a quality powerplay quarterback too. This year, I'm going to be looking for more activation from him, using his skating ability to be more aggressive offensively at even strength. The only real weakness in his game comes from the need to play with more jam in the defensive end. Last year, he struggled defending the net front and wasn't winning 50/50 battles consistently. Not surprising considering his age. This year, we need to see that improve. If it does, I think Reid is a potential top 50 pick.
10. Luca Romano - Center/Wing - Kitchener Rangers
IMO, the preseason top nine is pretty set. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't have those nine players in some order. That means I considered a ton of different players for this number ten spot (which really means very little this early in the game). I decided to go with Romano because I think that he has the potential to be a really versatile player as he bulks up. The first thing you'll notice about his game is his speed. He's lightning quick. He loves to play at a breakneck pace. However, he's a smart player too. His offensive skill set is pretty well rounded. He does everything pretty well. It's that combination of a well rounded game, high IQ, and the speed element that could make him a very versatile pro. We definitely saw that as an OHL rookie and we saw it recently at the Hlinka/Gretzky. What's missing from his game is strength on the puck and composure under pressure. He's just too easy to separate from the puck right now. That was one of my biggest takeaways at the Hlinka, that it looks like that hadn't improved much. Regardless, he could easily be this year's Jett Luchanko with the right mindset and improvements.
22. Tanner Lam - Wing - Kitchener Rangers
Lam is a fun player to watch. Lots of speed and skill in a small package. He's going to be a high scoring OHL player at some point. I would guess that by the time he graduates out of this league, he'll be a top 10 point producer. He really did have an impressive rookie year for the Rangers and was more consistent than I would have expected him to be (after having watched him with Halton a bit as a U16 player). As an undersized winger, he's going to need to produce offensively to be draft relevant. He definitely has the potential to do so, but let's see how his strength on the puck and off puck play has improved this year too.
Honourable Mention (one on the list)
Matheas Stark - Defense/Wing - Kitchener Rangers
