NHL Draft Profiles: Playmaker Reedy a potential stealer pick in middle rounds

The 2017 NHL Draft is quickly approaching, and for Prior Lake, Minn., native Scott Reedy, it presents an amazing opportunity. The 6-foot-1-inch, 203-pound power forward posted 22 goals and 20 assists in 60 games this past season with the U.S. National Team Development Program.Scott ReedyFor the Draft, Reedy is ranked 40th among North American Skaters. The Hockey News Draft Preview ranks Reedy as 100th among all prospects.Reedy plays a very hard-nosed game and has a great net-front presence. He is also a gifted playmaker with outstanding stickhandling ability. Next year, he will be attending the University of Minnesota, a school known for producing an abundance of NHL-caliber players.Reedy is fortunate to have played on teams with tremendous hockey history. He attended Shattuck-Saint Mary’s before heading off to Plymouth, Mich., to play with the NTDP for the past two years.Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Zach Parise are just some of the Shattuck alum who have gone on to have exceptional careers in the NHL.When asked about his experience there, Reedy was very honored to have been able to play at a school with such a history.“I grew up there and grew as a player as well, and it gave me a head start when I went to play with the NTDP because I had already lived away from home and played with guys from different backgrounds,” said Reedy.In his two years with the NTDP, Scott took his game to a whole new level. He has really emerged as a can’t-miss prospect.With his combination of size, stick skills, and playmaking ability, as well as being a solid skater, it is no wonder he models his game after Philadelphia Flyers star Jakub Voracek.USA Hockey NTDP’s Scott Reedy scored 42 points in 60 games this year. Courtesy Photo / USA Hockey NTDP“He has a good frame, tremendous stick skills, and sets up his teammates well. I like to look at parts of his game and try to use them in mine,” said Reedy, in regards to Voracek.The state of Minnesota has always been known to many as a breeding ground for hockey players in the United States, so it is no surprise that Reedy hails from the “state of hockey” as many call it.Minnesota has 44 active players in the NHL right now. Those players combined for 952 points in the 2016-2017 season, blowing away any other state.To make the NHL, there are many trials that you must go through before achieving the dream. Reedy’s next step will take place at the University of Minnesota. He will be going against players who are much older and more physically mature than he is.He is up for the challenge, but knows he will will have to get to work this offseason.“I’ll be training at Minnesota Made with Bernie Macbain. I’ll be doing some skill work there, and obviously hitting the weights pretty heavily,” Reedy added. “It’s definitely important to get stronger before my freshman year.”Reedy has tremendous potential. While it is looking like he will be taken in one of the middle rounds of the 2017 draft, it is all about development for the ’99 birth year.He is still extremely young, but very advanced for his age from a hockey standpoint, as well as in his work ethic.It will be exciting to see how he progresses over the course of the next couple years. Don’t be surprised if you see his name in the NHL headlines sooner than expected.