BUFFALO, N.Y. — If Chase Reid happens to be drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks later this month, he knows exactly who he’ll be leaning on for information. He won’t even have to go far.Reid lives a short drive from his friend and Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar in suburban Detroit.“We live like five minutes from each other, so we hang out quite a bit at home and golf and skate every day in the summer,” Reid said Thursday between NHL scouting combine meetings with teams. “So, we have a good time, for sure.”Aside from his proximity to Nazar, Reid’s path to becoming an NHL draft pick couldn’t be more different. Reid hoped to play for the U.S. National Team Development Program like Nazar or at least in the USHL, but he was cut from both teams. He found himself in the North American Hockey League during the 2024-25 season. He knew at the time he was miles away from being an NHL draft pick of any round. His confidence in what he could become never wavered, though.“I wouldn’t say there was anything that didn’t make me think I couldn’t do it, but there was definitely bumps along the way and definitely a lot of people who helped me along the way,” Reid said. “But I’m glad I got to where I am now and I couldn’t be more grateful to be where I’m at. I love hockey, so it’s never really been a problem to work hard in hockey and, obviously, I want to show my little brother that anything is possible.”What’s possible now is Reid being selected near the top of the 2026 NHL Draft. He’s ranked the draft’s No. 1 defenseman by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler.While the Blackhawks would ideally add another high-end forward to their roster pool with the fourth pick, it’s possible the draft’s three top forwards — Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Caleb Malhotra — will be gone by then. If that’s the case, the Blackhawks would likely draft whomever they view as the best defenseman. Reid, who was scheduled to meet with the Blackhawks on Thursday, is in that discussion.