Maple Leafs have assigned Noah Chadwick to the Marlies

The Marlies are getting a boost on the back end as the Leafs announced on Sunday that prospect Noah Chadwick will report to the AHL.

This comes after Chadwick’s WHL season ended earlier this week as the Lethbridge Hurricanes were swept in the first round by the Swift Current Broncos. He will get to join a Marlies team that is holding on to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining in the regular season.

There is no telling exactly how many games Chandwick will appear in down the stretch given there are so many players that need playing time, especially those who are there in the wake of the Newfoundland Growlers folding. Even if he only gets into half of the games, the fact he is there, to begin with, is a testament to how well his development has gone so far and how highly the organization views him.

Chadwick was originally taken by the Leafs in the sixth round and 185th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. When he first joined the organization, he was blessed with size and had some good skills already developed but just needed to add some more offence to round out his game. It’s safe to say he has done exactly that and then some in the subsequent campaign.

He produced 56 points (12 goals and 44 assists) in 66 games played, which was not only the highest total among Hurricanes defenders but was also fourth on the team in scoring overall. Chadwick also added an assist in four playoff games played.

That improvement in offensive production combined with his continued growth was enough to get him signed to an ELC back in late December. Now that he has gotten the callup to the Marlies for the remainder of the season, it is safe to say he is quickly climbing up the table in terms of Leafs prospects.

While the Leafs only made three picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, two of them are already locked into their first contracts and have made impressive jumps in their development. Easton Cowan has gotten the bulk of the attention and deservedly so, but Chadwick has also had a great season and is certainly in the long-term plans with the way things have gone for him in the 10 months since getting drafted.