The 2024 NHL Entry Draft saw the Los Angeles Kings select a total of four players during the two-day event from The Sphere in Las Vegas. The players Los Angeles added to their pool of prospects are for the most part junior-level players who remain committed to their respective clubs for the 2024-25 campaign. Although the 2024 Draft class was undoubtedly highlighted by the Kings’ first round pick forward Liam Greentree, the Kings also added a goaltender, blueliner, and forward.
The Kings’ fourth and final pick during the Draft came in the seventh round when they selected James Reeder, a right-shot forward, 198th overall. A star player with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL), he is set to make his college hockey debut this fall. A native of Glenview, Illinois, the 5-foot-10, 168-pounder will join the NCAA Division I defending champion University of Denver for the 2024-25 campaign. Reeder will bolster a Pioneers’ roster that features several other NHL prospects.
Reeder’s Time With Dubuque Fighting Saints
Reeder played two seasons in the USHL with the Fighting Saints. An alternate captain with the club during his second campaign, the 2023-24 season, the two-way forward compiled 60 points (20 goals and 40 assists) and a plus-11 rating in 53 games. This was a significant statistics jump from the previous season, when the right-winger had 34 points in 61 games. Last season, he had 20 multi-point games for Dubuque, including a hat trick on Dec. 2, 2023 against the Lincoln Stars.
During both seasons with the Fighting Saints, Reeder appeared in the playoffs. During the 2022-23 campaign he appeared in five postseason games, recording one goal. In 11 playoff games last season, Reeder scored one goal and tallied four assists. Dubuque finished the regular season in first place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 41-13-3-5. The team cruised through two postseason series against the Youngstown Phantoms (3-1) and the Muskegon Lumberjacks (3-0), before ultimately meeting their match against the Fargo Force (3-1) in the Clark Cup Championship series. Reeder recorded one assist in the deciding Game Four of the Final. Fargo had finished the regular season atop the USHL’s Western Conference and captured the franchise’s second Clark Cup with the victory over Dubuque.
Reeder’s International Experience
Reeder’s strong playmaking skills were on full display on the international stage this past season. The forward appeared in six games for Team USA during the 2023 World Junior A Challenge at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia from Dec. 10 to 17, 2023. This international ice hockey tournament included under-19 players from participant countries. This five-team tournament featured teams from Canada East, Canada West, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United States. Reeder and the United States squad captured the bronze medal in the tournament with an 8-5 victory over Sweden. He appeared in six games during the tournament, racking up an impressive 10 points (eight goals and two assists). His best performance came in a 6-1 victory over Slovakia on Dec. 10, when the right wing recorded a hat trick.
Joining The University of Denver
With the 2024-25 season looming, the University of Denver currently has 13 players on their roster who were drafted by NHL clubs in recent years. Led by head coach David Carle, Denver will look to defend their 2024 NCAA Division I crown this campaign. The Pioneers ended the season with an impressive record of 32-9-3, defeating Boston College (2-0) in the Frozen Four National Championship Game. Reeder will join fellow Kings’ prospect forward Jared Wright (sixth round, 2022) who will return to Denver this fall for his junior campaign. Wright played very well last season, recording 25 points in 44 appearances for the Pioneers.
Related: Kings Prospects Report: Conmy, Hughes, Wright, Connors, & More
Denver will open the 2024-25 campaign away at the University of Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 5. Their home opener is scheduled for Oct. 18 against Northeastern University. A member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), the Pioneers will face off against tough conference opponents such as the University of North Dakota, the University of Nebraska Omaha, Western Michigan University, Colorado College, St. Cloud State University, and Arizona State University throughout the season. All of the aforementioned teams were ranked in the top 20 of NCAA Division I college hockey during the 2023-24 campaign.
Reeder’s Path to the NHL
This fall, Reeder will join one of the top, if not the best, programs in the ranks of college hockey. The 18-year-old forward has numerous positive elements to his game, but still has plenty of room to develop if he hopes to have a shot at the NHL in coming years. The most glaring areas for development include increasing his size, strength, and the overall physicality of his game. He must also strive to be more consistent with his level of play. One of the observations made by numerous scouts during his time in the juniors was that Reeder would play extremely well one game and then not be a factor in his following appearance. All of that being stated, he is a talented player who will have plenty of opportunities to develop and improve his game at Denver under the watchful eye of coach Carle.
