The TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings were compiled by a panel of seven TLN writers, each ranking our top 20 prospects to form a consensus group ranking. 
Rather than hard and fast limits on age or NHL games played to determine &#8220;prospect&#8221; eligibility, our group decided on a more nuanced approach to include any reasonably young player who is either under contract with the Leafs or on the club&#8217;s reserve list, who has not yet established himself as a full-time NHLer.
Easton Cowan&#8217;s phenomenal season and meteoric rise was the story of the Leafs&#8217; prospect pool last season, but another player from the 2023 draft class exceeded all expectations to establish himself as one of Toronto&#8217;s top prospects as well. Defenceman Noah Chadwick was selected by the Leafs in the sixth round, and despite being labelled as a long-term project, he wasted little time making his mark in the WHL and improving his standing within the organization.
At the time of his selection, Chadwick already measured in at 6&#8217;4&#8243; and nearly 200 pounds, but that large frame and his lack of offensive production in his draft year clouded the perception of what kind of player the Leafs had added to their system. It isn&#8217;t uncommon for NHL clubs to take late-round swings on players with enticing physical attributes &#8211; just look at this past draft when the Leafs used a pair of seventh-round picks on hulking, physical defenders Matt Lahey and Nathan Mayes &#8211; but the Leafs saw untapped offensive potential in Chadwick, and he rewarded that faith with an impressive draft+1 season in Lethbridge this past season.
After finishing with five goals and 15 assists in 67 games during his draft year, Chadwick stepped into a larger role for the Hurricanes in 2023-24 and flourished. Taking over the reins as the team&#8217;s go-to defenceman and top power play option, Chadwick took full advantage and was one of the most productive blueliners in the WHL from start to finish. He ended the season as the 10th highest-scoring defender in the league with 12 goals and 44 assists in 66 games, nearly tripling his output from the prior season, and also earned the CHL&#8217;s Scholastic Player of the Year award.
Chadwick was a consistent threat from the back end all season, and his performance during the early part of the campaign was enough for the Leafs to ink him to an entry-level contract in December, just a few short months after he was drafted &#8211; a rare occurrence for late-round picks out of the CHL.
The 2023-24 season was a big one for Chadwick in terms of improving his stock within the Leafs organization, but it has also afforded him other opportunities. Chadwick was named to Canada&#8217;s roster for the World Junior Summer Showcase, which took place earlier this summer, and a strong start to the coming season could help him secure his place at the annual holiday tournament. With names like Oliver Bonk, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, Carter Yakemchuk, and Tanner Molendyk in the mix, Canada&#8217;s management team has a wealth of blue-chip defencemen to choose from, but that management group being led by Lethbridge general manager Peter Anholt certainly doesn&#8217;t hurt Chadwick&#8217;s chances. If he is to crack the Canadian World Junior roster, it will likely be based on his ability to continue rounding out his game rather than relying on the offensive acumen he has already shown in the WHL.
Chadwick&#8217;s intelligence and vision with the puck on his stick are the foundation of his game, and he has shown an ability to create space for himself and open up passing lanes for his teammates with subtle fakes and delays. Chadwick isn&#8217;t a high-end skater at this stage of his development, but he is a smart skater who always keeps his feet moving to take advantage of the space around him, and he is always looking to make a play rather than simply dumping the puck away from harm. He moves through pass receptions and employs give-and-go plays from the back end to spread out opposing defences instead of constantly trying to beat opponents one-on-one, and he showed more confidence handling the puck this past season, attacking more assertively while still being mindful of picking his spots.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Nice play by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> prospect Noah Chadwick to pinch down the wall and set up Miguel Marques with the cross-crease pass <a href="https://t.co/5EGqFxB9GY">pic.twitter.com/5EGqFxB9GY</a>
&mdash; Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NickRichard/status/1730072461507465350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It would be unfair to characterize Chadwick&#8217;s defensive game as a weakness, but that is where he still has the most room to grow. His length and reach are differentiators at the junior level, and he is effective at angling off attackers and taking away space in defensive transition. Those advantages will be less pronounced as he climbs the ranks to professional hockey, and continuing to improve his footspeed and four-way mobility will lead to better gap control, as well as a greater ability to recover when he does get beat. Chadwick&#8217;s intelligence and vision in the offensive zone are more pronounced, but those attributes also show up in his own end, where he is able to identify immediate threats and use his reach to clog up passing lanes.
Chadwick is already an imposing figure, but he is still learning how to use that size and strength effectively on a consistent basis. He will finish his checks and seal the wall to shut down the cycle, but he isn&#8217;t an inherently mean player who is looking to impose his physical will on the opposition. Chadwick doesn&#8217;t need to become prime Scott Stevens by any means, but becoming more difficult to play against from shift to shift will only improve his chances of reaching the NHL.
Returning to Lethbridge with an eye on a spot at the World Juniors, the focus for Chadwick in 2024-25 will be building upon his breakout offensive season while continuing to develop the other parts of his game. Depending on how far the Hurricanes go next spring, Chadwick could potentially make his professional debut with the Marlies toward the end of the season before stepping into the AHL full-time in 2025-26.
With how quickly Chadwick has climbed the Leafs&#8217; prospect ranks, it is important to remember that he is still something of a project, but the Leafs are clearly thrilled with the early returns on their sixth-round pick from the 2023 draft. If his development takes another step like the one from a season ago, the rest of the hockey world will soon start to take notice as well.
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Statistics from EliteProspects.com

The TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings were compiled by a panel of seven TLN writers, each ranking our top 20 prospects to form a consensus group ranking. 

Rather than hard and fast limits on age or NHL games played to determine "prospect" eligibility, our group decided on a more nuanced approach to include any reasonably young player who is either under contract with the Leafs or on the club's reserve list, who has not yet established himself as a full-time NHLer.

Easton Cowan's phenomenal season and meteoric rise was the story of the Leafs' prospect pool last season, but another player from the 2023 draft class exceeded all expectations to establish himself as one of Toronto's top prospects as well. Defenceman Noah Chadwick was selected by the Leafs in the sixth round, and despite being labelled as a long-term project, he wasted little time making his mark in the WHL and improving his standing within the organization.

At the time of his selection, Chadwick already measured in at 6'4" and nearly 200 pounds, but that large frame and his lack of offensive production in his draft year clouded the perception of what kind of player the Leafs had added to their system. It isn't uncommon for NHL clubs to take late-round swings on players with enticing physical attributes - just look at this past draft when the Leafs used a pair of seventh-round picks on hulking, physical defenders Matt Lahey and Nathan Mayes - but the Leafs saw untapped offensive potential in Chadwick, and he rewarded that faith with an impressive draft+1 season in Lethbridge this past season.

After finishing with five goals and 15 assists in 67 games during his draft year, Chadwick stepped into a larger role for the Hurricanes in 2023-24 and flourished. Taking over the reins as the team's go-to defenceman and top power play option, Chadwick took full advantage and was one of the most productive blueliners in the WHL from start to finish. He ended the season as the 10th highest-scoring defender in the league with 12 goals and 44 assists in 66 games, nearly tripling his output from the prior season, and also earned the CHL's Scholastic Player of the Year award.

Chadwick was a consistent threat from the back end all season, and his performance during the early part of the campaign was enough for the Leafs to ink him to an entry-level contract in December, just a few short months after he was drafted - a rare occurrence for late-round picks out of the CHL.

The 2023-24 season was a big one for Chadwick in terms of improving his stock within the Leafs organization, but it has also afforded him other opportunities. Chadwick was named to Canada's roster for the World Junior Summer Showcase, which took place earlier this summer, and a strong start to the coming season could help him secure his place at the annual holiday tournament. With names like Oliver Bonk, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, Carter Yakemchuk, and Tanner Molendyk in the mix, Canada's management team has a wealth of blue-chip defencemen to choose from, but that management group being led by Lethbridge general manager Peter Anholt certainly doesn't hurt Chadwick's chances. If he is to crack the Canadian World Junior roster, it will likely be based on his ability to continue rounding out his game rather than relying on the offensive acumen he has already shown in the WHL.

Chadwick's intelligence and vision with the puck on his stick are the foundation of his game, and he has shown an ability to create space for himself and open up passing lanes for his teammates with subtle fakes and delays. Chadwick isn't a high-end skater at this stage of his development, but he is a smart skater who always keeps his feet moving to take advantage of the space around him, and he is always looking to make a play rather than simply dumping the puck away from harm. He moves through pass receptions and employs give-and-go plays from the back end to spread out opposing defences instead of constantly trying to beat opponents one-on-one, and he showed more confidence handling the puck this past season, attacking more assertively while still being mindful of picking his spots.

https://twitter.com/_NickRichard/status/1730072461507465350

It would be unfair to characterize Chadwick's defensive game as a weakness, but that is where he still has the most room to grow. His length and reach are differentiators at the junior level, and he is effective at angling off attackers and taking away space in defensive transition. Those advantages will be less pronounced as he climbs the ranks to professional hockey, and continuing to improve his footspeed and four-way mobility will lead to better gap control, as well as a greater ability to recover when he does get beat. Chadwick's intelligence and vision in the offensive zone are more pronounced, but those attributes also show up in his own end, where he is able to identify immediate threats and use his reach to clog up passing lanes.

Chadwick is already an imposing figure, but he is still learning how to use that size and strength effectively on a consistent basis. He will finish his checks and seal the wall to shut down the cycle, but he isn't an inherently mean player who is looking to impose his physical will on the opposition. Chadwick doesn't need to become prime Scott Stevens by any means, but becoming more difficult to play against from shift to shift will only improve his chances of reaching the NHL.

Returning to Lethbridge with an eye on a spot at the World Juniors, the focus for Chadwick in 2024-25 will be building upon his breakout offensive season while continuing to develop the other parts of his game. Depending on how far the Hurricanes go next spring, Chadwick could potentially make his professional debut with the Marlies toward the end of the season before stepping into the AHL full-time in 2025-26.

With how quickly Chadwick has climbed the Leafs' prospect ranks, it is important to remember that he is still something of a project, but the Leafs are clearly thrilled with the early returns on their sixth-round pick from the 2023 draft. If his development takes another step like the one from a season ago, the rest of the hockey world will soon start to take notice as well.

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Statistics from EliteProspects.com

2024 TLN Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings: #7 Noah Chadwick

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