Reese Hamilton

June 2025—Hamilton is a mobile, intelligent defenceman who you really have to feel a bit bad for. Entering the year, Hamilton was among the highest-rated defenders of the class (I even remember scouts who preferred him to Jackson Smith at the end of the 2024 cycle).

Since then, it’s been nothing short of free-fall.

Hamilton was really fighting the puck at the beginning of the year. As his game is a more efficient, calculated one than really dynamic or intense, when things aren’t going his way, he seems less engaged, giving many scouts pause. After being swapped for Tanner Howe and sent to the Regina, he had a difficult time dispelling that impression, playing in 39 contests for the Pats that looked more like extended breakout drills than games. There’s no doubt Hamilton struggled this year, but development isn’t always linear, and there’s reason to believe that there’s more to Hamilton than we got to see this year.—Luke Sweeney