St. Cloud State sophomore forward Cam Reid has left the team to join the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, according to the St. Cloud Times.
“[Portland] offered to have me play center on the first line with their top two players [Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi],” Reid said in the story. “I talked it over with my parents and it was something I couldn’t pass up or say no to. The thing is [the Winterhawks] have 35 games left in the regular season, plus playoffs. It’s absolutely nothing against St. Cloud. It was just something I couldn’t say no to. I’d have regretted it if I didn’t do it.
“I’ve got a girlfriend here. It’s been the hardest 24 hours of my life. No one understands it. In the future, people will see it was a good decision.”
Reid, who was a seventh-round pick of Nashville in 2009, said his decision to leave school is not based on grades.
“It was nothing to do with school,” Reid said. “I was definitely battling, but still eligible.”
In 22 games this season, Reid had six goals and nine assists with 31 penalty minutes, along with a minus-2 rating.
“We wish him well with his future endeavors,” Huskies coach Bob Motzko said in a news release.
