Self-Awareness Could Be Jay Reeder’s Secret Weapon

Hockey IQ aside, LA Kings prospect Jay Reeder brings some unique tangibles to the table. But he could also address an area or two.

As strong as Jay Reeder’s mental game is, that’s not all that’s appealing about the LA Kings prospect. During my conversation with Evan Dixon, the Dubuque Fighting Saints head coach discussed another of Reeder’s strengths.

“Jay is somebody that’s– I don’t want to say he didn’t need coaching, but he’s very self-aware,” he said. “He’s almost a coach for himself in a sense. I think he has an ability to evaluate where he’s at with his game. And [he has a] pretty good understanding of, you know, if he was playing well or not well or things that he needs to improve on.

“For him, if you gave him feedback or criticism, he was very open to it. He’s a curious hockey player. If you’re seeing something and you tell him about it, he’s not necessarily going to just listen to you and do it, but he’s going to think about it. He’s going to dissect how we can implement something into his game.”

If one were to believe that Reeder isn’t coachable, however, they’d be mistaken.

“He is coachable, but he’s a thinker and he’s always thinking about ways he can improve,” Dixon added. “He takes advice and kind of creates his own ideas and his own path to be able to execute those things.

“As far as in-game-type stuff, if you tell him to do something, or if you say, ‘Hey, this is something you need to be prepared for against this opponent,’ he can go out there and [be able to] complicate [opponents] or execute to a T all the time. He’s very good at piecing those things together or recognizing situations within the game. So, that was always nice as a coach, because [he can take] the plan, he can go execute the plan. And then if there are areas that he can improve beyond that, he’s very open to those things and always looking for ways to get better.”

Yet, while mental capacity and self-awareness are both tremendous strengths of his, Jay Reeder does have something against him – according to skeptics, at least. That is his undersized 5-foot-10, 177-pound frame.

“I do think that Jay is going to grow,” Dixon noted. “His hands and his feet are bigger than what 5′ 10 looks like. So, I think he’s going to grow a little bit. Obviously, we don’t know for sure, but it just does appear that way. He still has some maturing, physically, to do, I would say.”

If Reeder’s size is, indeed, a detriment, Dixon is confident that the 18-year-old can make up for it in a big way.

“I think his greatest asset, like I touched on, is his brain,” he reiterated. “And I think that, even without that physical size, he has an ability that a lot of players don’t have, and that’s an ability to read the game at a higher level, faster pace, pick up on cues in real time. And he’s a student of the game.

“I think he’s only going to continue to get better. He just had some experiences this year, one of them being at the [2023] World Junior A Challenge in Nova Scotia, being around and playing against some pretty elite competition. And he only went up. He only improved and excelled at an even higher level, I would say. So, that kind of tells you that with his capacity, he has an ability to elevate his game. And when he’s playing with even better players, he’s going to continue to take that step. So, I think that having that hockey IQ is going to be his greatest asset moving forward, and I think that’ll make up, or at least hopefully, make up for any size deficiencies that there might be with him.”

Unfortunately for Dixon and the Fighting Saints, Reeder’s USHL tenure has reached its end. This fall, the Illinois native will begin his collegiate career at the University of Denver. So, with that in mind, Dixon has some sage advice for his now-former right-winger.

“Just keep doing his thing,” he emphasized. “He’s a student of the game. For him, it’s just continuing to be coachable and open to new things. But just continuing to put the work in, even from an off-ice perspective. He has the tools from an on-ice standpoint, but if he could put on five, 10 pounds of muscle and maybe grow a couple of inches, he’s only going to give himself the best chance to make it at the highest level. So, just continuing to put that work in and believing in himself, I think that that’s a big part of it, as well.”

To some, he may be a mere afterthought as a 7th-round draft selection. But don’t expect Jay Reeder to believe you if you tell him that. There is still a long way to go on Reeder’s path to the NHL. However, that begins this fall – first at Kings rookie camp and then at college. Do not underestimate the youngster’s upside, though. Reeder’s hockey IQ and self-awareness may have even helped him win 2024’s USHL Scholar-Athlete of the Year. But regardless of when, and if, he makes the big club, Jay Reeder will have fans of the silver-and-black something unique to look forward to.