Jets' Reid earns NAHL tender with Mustangs

WATERFORD, MI – Metro Jets defenseman Adam Reid has excelled in his first season in the North American 3 Hockey League and the New Mexico Mustangs of the North American Hockey League have taken notice.

This past week, the Mustangs offered a tender to Reid for the 2012-13 season and the 19-year-old happily accepted.

A tender is a contract of sorts a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team. Each team is granted eight tenders - plus or minus any trades - which become active on Nov. 1. Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft.

“The tender opportunity came up at the showcase in Chicago the first week of December,” explained Reid, a Kalamazoo native who lived the past 14 years in Georgetown, Tex. “After our first game against Quad City, (Jets coach Jason) Cirone said that New Mexico was inquiring about me and that they'd be watching me again in our game the next day. After the second game, their scout and assistant coach Nick Shackford approached me with the offer.”

“I’m very proud of Adam,” said Cirone. “We’re in the business of developing and advancing our players and I think this speaks volumes in Adam’s case. He only played four games of midget hockey last year dealing with a concussion, but came in this year and has been one of our most consistent defensemen.”

Reid has also done his homework on the Mustangs, a second-year NAHL franchise coached by Jason Kersner.

“I know the Mustangs are a solid organization with good ownership and management,” said Reid. “I also know they started out a little rough this season, but have been turning it around lately with all their roster changes. They're only a few points out of the playoffs right now and expect to make it. Cirone also knows their coaches pretty well and has respect for them, and I have a lot of trust in his judgment.”

While the tender doesn’t guarantee Reid a spot in Rio Rancho next fall, he’s going to do all he can to add his name to the growing list of Jets’ advancements.

”To prepare to make the team next year, I want to gain a little more weight and become faster and stronger,” Reid said. “I also have several tactical things that Shackford and Cirone have said I need to improve on.

”Cirone and the Jets get a lot of credit for helping me with this opportunity. Having just missed the (NAHL’s) Port Huron (Fighting Falcons) cut last summer, I think I was a little too confident coming into this league, but Cirone brought me back to reality and showed me all of my deficiencies and how to fix them. He has been a tremendous help.”

This season, Reid has four assists and 27 penalty minutes in 24 games for Metro.

The Jets (15-11-0-1) are off until Saturday, Jan. 7 when they host the Flint Jr. Generals at Lakeland Arena.