After their second-round exit in the WHL playoffs this season, the Everett Silvertips officially announced the addition of a high-end reinforcement.
Reid Nicol, the organization’s first-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft on May 7, signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Silvertips on Wednesday, the team announced via press release.
The Silvertips selected the 15-year-old center with the fifth overall pick after the Brandon, MB native scored 35 goals and 58 points in 48 games for the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA this past season.
“We’re excited to officially add Reid to our organization,” Silvertips general manager Mike Fraser said in the press release. “His offensive ability, size and willingness to play a 200-foot game make him a threat each time he steps onto the ice. He’s an important piece of our future.”
The Silvertips continue to reap the rewards of a blockbuster trade with the Kamloops Blazers in Jan. 2023, in which they shipped off franchise legends Olen Zellweger and Ryan Hofer in exchange for a package of four players and 10 draft picks. The return included Kamloops’ first-round picks from 2023 through 2026, and after finishing outside the playoff field this season, Kamloops’ lottery pick belonged to Everett, which was able to make a high draft selection despite finishing as the regular-season champion.
Everett’s three overage players from last season — Tyler MacKenzie, Dominik Rymon and Austin Roest — were all forwards, so Nicol is expected to restore talent to the group when he’s eligible to play. After spending this past season playing at the U18 level, he can appear in up to 34 regular season games in the WHL in 2025-26.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the Everett Silvertips,” Nicol said in the press release. “It’s an honor to be a part of such a well-respected organization with a strong tradition of excellence. I can’t wait to hit the ice with my new teammates, grow as a player and contribute everything I can this season.”
In the lead-up to the draft, Doug Sinclair, the team’s Manitoba scout, led the charge in learning more about Nicol as a prospect and person. When Nicol was still available at the fifth pick, the Silvertips jumped at the chance to select him.
“We were kind of waiting to see what happened between, you know, call it (picks) two to four,” Silvertips Director of Scouting Brooks Christensen told The Herald the day after the draft. “But (we) kind of had our idea of a forward in mind to be in that top mix, and to get a player like (Nicol’s) caliber at number five, we were thrilled.”
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