Top prospects Reid, Malhotra discussed on 'NHL Draft Class' podcast

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round is June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Full draft coverage can be found here.

Chase Reid of Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League is the type of defenseman with almost "no holes in his game," according to NHL Central Scouting's Nick Smith.

"With his size (6-foot-2, 190 pounds), his skating ... he's an underrated skater, in my opinion," Smith said on the latest edition of the "NHL Draft Class" podcast. "I've watched him and he flies when he wants to. He's good defensively, can make plays out of nothing. He's dynamic, can captain the power play and he seems like a great kid. You guys met him at the NHL Draft Combine, there's just something about him. I think he's going to be that player, and I think he's got a chance to be a No. 1 (defenseman) in the NHL."

Reid, No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, ranked 12th among OHL defensemen with 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) and 20 power-play points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 45 regular-season games. He had four points (two goals, two assists) in five games for the United States at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Smith also talked about Brantford center Caleb Malhotra, who finished second among OHL rookies in goals (29), assists (55) and points (84) in 67 regular-season games. He also led all first-year players in points (26; 13 goals, 13 assists) in 15 playoff games.

Malhotra is No. 6 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.

"His ceiling is really high," Smith said. "You're getting a character player. When you look at him, he's a hockey player. He's ready to go and he's mature beyond his years."

"NHL Draft Class" co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale also discussed forwards Nikita Klepov (No. 8) of Saginaw, Ethan Belchetz (No. 9) of Windsor, Brooks Rogowski (No. 21) of Oshawa and Jaxon Cover (No. 29) of London, among others.

Kimelman and Morreale recapped the NHL Scouting Combine and touched on their most recent mock drafts.

The "NHL Draft Class" podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. It also is available here and the NHL app.