Prospect Update: Noah Read

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks drafted forward Noah Read in the third round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, 72nd overall. He spent this past season playing in the OHL, first for the London Knights and then for the Niagara IceDogs.

With London, Read appeared in 10 games and scored a goal and two points. At the end of October, he was traded to Niagara for winger Braidy Wassilyn. With the IceDogs, Read started as their third line center, and scored 10 goals and 20 points in 50 games to end the season. Despite playing in only 50 games, he still finished seventh on the team in goals and eighth in points. Read recorded his first point, an assist, in his fourth game with Niagara, and then had a goal in three straight games. In January he had his second career two-goal game in the OHL. The IceDogs made the playoffs but lost in the first round in five games to the Barrie Colts. Read played in all five games and scored a goal and three points.

Read is an energetic player who has a physical edge to his game. He’s a highly competitive player who gets in on the forecheck and plays well defensively. Read will never become a goaltender’s worst nightmare, but he’s the kind of player who can chip in with the big goal when it’s needed most.

Read will be back in the OHL this coming season, and assuming he’s not traded again before then, will be suiting up for Niagara. It was great to see his offensive numbers improve once he moved from London to Niagara, but he still finished with fewer assists and points than he did the previous year. I have two expectations for Read this coming season. First, for him to play in a majority of the IceDog’s games. Second, for him to set career highs in goals, assists, and points.

Read is still several years away from making it to the NHL. He’s got another year or two of juniors ahead of him. After that, he could turn pro, or go the NCAA route, as Tarin Smith is doing now that his junior career is over. If Read continues to improve, once he turns pro, he’ll head to San Diego, where he’ll play for at least a couple of seasons before getting a shot at the NHL. So the earliest I think we could see Read with the Ducks is the 2031-2032 season.

Read is currently unsigned, and per PuckPedia, the Ducks have until June 2027 to sign him. If he has a strong season in Niagara, the Ducks will likely sign him to an entry-level deal. If the Ducks feel he’s not quite ready but want to see more out of him, they could opt to have him head to the NCAA. That would extend the window in which they have to sign him, as they did with Smith this summer.

The next prospect update will be on forward Austine Burnevik.

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Prospect Update: Calle Clang

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Prospect Update: Anthony Allain-Samake

Prospect Update: Judd Caulfield

Prospect Update: Herman Traff

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August 28th, 2026