Winger Martin Reway was Montreal’s 4th round pick, 116th overall in the 2013
NHL Entry Draft. Although he is listed at a tiny 5’8 and 158lbs, his high
skill level may turn this selection into another of Trevor Timmins’ late round
steals. He has been one of Gatineau’s top players all season long while he
was dominant for Team Slovakia at the most recent World Juniors.
Skill Grades
Shooting: B+
Skating: A
Stickhandling: A
Hockey Sense: A+
Reway has amazing vision as he reads the play well in advance, making passes
from all over the ice with elite hockey sense. He has the ability to
control the game, slowing it down to his liking or speeding up the play; he can
stop/start with strong pivots to avoid checks or use his great speed to blow by
defenders.
The only knock him is his size but it does not limit his compete level.
He battles in all the dirty areas and regularly goes hard to the net, never
letting his size affect his play. He is smart and very aware in all situations
and on both special teams (and is even a scoring threat shorthanded).
Coaches have trust in his game because of his poise/confidence; he almost always
makes the right reads/plays whatever the situation calls for.
Projected Progression
Reway will finish this year in the QMJHL as a top line player seeing ice time
in all situations. If Gatineau is eliminated early in the postseason, he may
also get a look from the Bulldogs on an ATO. As he’ll be too young for
full-time AHL action next year, he’ll be back in junior, playing the same role
as he is now In 2015-16, Reway should be in Hamilton and could see top six
minutes right away given his well-rounded play. If he can continue to
improve, he may not need a lot of time in the minors and we could see him with
the Canadiens before too long.
Intangibles
He has hockey sense in every ounce of his body and reads the play so well.
Reway has the unique ability (at the junior level) to slow the game down to make
the right play; he performs well under pressure and has little to no panic in
his game. Elite vision, strong two-way decision making, finish and
playmaking skills, and sweet hands and smart passes make Reway a very strong
candidate to play in the NHL one day despite his size.
Final Thoughts
Reway has to work on his core strength and add muscle to play with the big
boys in the NHL, but he has all the skills required to play at that level.
He will endear himself to his coaches because he is accountable on the ice at
both ends and not afraid to compete even though he’s the smallest player out
there. He may be small, but he should be an NHL’er down the road.
Reway’s Stats
