Here’s a thought that won’t be welcomed by defencemen and goaltenders in the B.C. Hockey League. Both Cam Reid and his coach believe the slick centre has to get better.
Reid, an 18-year-old who grew up in North Vancouver and Delta, leads the Warriors in scoring with 16 points in eight games (six goals). He’s on the first power play unit and kills penalties. Every night, he makes at least one move that has fans and broadcasters saying “wow.” However, when we spoke to Reid and head coach Darren Yopyk this week, both stressed that Reid has to play better if the Warriors are to reach the upper echelon of the league this season.
“He needs to compete harder, and I think he knows that,” said Yopyk. “He’s a guy that’s a danger, a menace to the other team every time he’s on the ice,” added the coach. “That takes a lot of pressure off our other guys – there’s a reason he was drafted.”
Reid, who will attend the University of New Hampshire on a scholarship in September 2010, was taken 192nd overall in June’s NHL draft by the Nashville Predators.
Here’s what Nashville scout Rick Knickle said when the Preds selected Reid: “He’s a big, tall kid. I guess he’s put some weight on since the season ended. He has a really good hockey sense. He’s going to university for four years so that gives him a chance to develop. This is a kid that I think the more you watch him, the more you figure out how good a player he can be. You take him in the seventh round, obviously he is a developing player and it is nice to see that he has put on some weight since the season ended which is what you want to see. You don’t want to see it too quick but he is a 6’2 – 6’3″ guy, 200-pounds and we’ve got four years to wait for him. Another big body is what we need.”
When we spoke to Reid this week, he echoed what coach Yopyk said.
“I think I need to compete harder in our defensive zone and battling for pucks – coach and I have talked about it – perhaps being more physical too,” said Reid.
Just what was it liked to hear your name called on NHL draft day? “
I was at home, sitting on the couch,” he recalled. “I had my grad night the night before so the morning came pretty bright and early. My mom said she saw my name and then the Predators called. It was really exciting when it happened – a morning I probably won’t ever forget.”
Reid said he played lots of other sports when he was young, soccer and golf being dominant. He says he still plays golf as much as he can (“which isn’t much”) and carries a handicap of between 15-20. In his second year of pee wee hockey, playing for the North Shore Winter Club, Reid’s team won the provincial championship.
“We beat Burnaby Winter Club in double overtime,” said Reid. “That was probably the highlight of my minor hockey career, for sure.”
This most recent summer, Reid said he worked out six days a week and was on a lot of trips, including one to the Predators prospects camp in Nashville. What did he think of the Tennessee city known for country music and Elvis?
“It was unreal. We went downtown and it was one of the coolest things I every saw, country bars all the way down the strip to the rink, which kind of stuck out because it’s new. It’s something I won’t forget.”
And he’s going to get better. That’s something fans of the Warriors, his coaches, his teammates, the Predators and the University of New Hampshire are excited about hearing.
The rest of the BCHL? Likely not so much.
