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Noah Chadwick emerging as late-round steal from 2023 NHL Draft
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Tyler Kuehl
Mar 19, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 19, 2025, 08:01 EDT
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One of the rising prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs system is starting to gain some notoriety, even though he was relatively unknown when the team first called his name a couple of years ago.
Defenseman Noah Chadwick is quietly becoming one of the better blueline prospects in the team’s pool, thanks to his notable strides in development over the past few seasons. The Saskatoon native was taken by the Maple Leafs in the sixth round, 185th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Since then, his production has increased with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League and he has done an excellent job at pushing himself to be a better, all-around defender.
Chadwick’s efforts have led to him even being considered for the Canadian National Junior Team, playing at the World Junior Summer Showcase this past year. 2023-24 was the best season of his junior career. In 66 games, he posted 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points, even getting the chance to play one game with the Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, before the end of the regular season. His play last season convinced the Leafs to sign him to a three-year, entry-level contract in December 2023. He was named captain of the Hurricanes prior to the 2024-25 campaign and has been a part of another playoff-bound team in Lethbridge. In 64 games, he has scored a career-high 13 goals, registering 39 assists for 52 points with a plus/minus of +12.
Daily Faceoff draft and prospect expert Steven Ellis admits that Chadwick’s game has improved a lot over the past couple of seasons but says there’s one part of his skill set that he is lacking.
“The biggest issue,” Ellis wrote. “Something that was exposed at the World Junior Summer Showcase – is his skating. Chadwick isn’t quick and he struggles in transition. He’s likely a depth defender at this point, but there’s been enough progression in his overall game to suggest he’s got a good work ethic and is adaptable. Toronto doesn’t have many notable defenders in the system, so turning a sixth-round pick into an NHLer would be a major win.”
When TLN’s Nick Richard broke down Chadwick’s game prior to the new season, he highlighted the 19-year-old’s ability to get the puck up the ice and create opportunities in the offensive zone.
“Chadwick’s intelligence and vision with the puck on his stick are the foundation of his game,” Richard wrote. “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.”
One part of Chadwick’s arsenal that has a little more to be desired is his defensive game overall. He has certainly made strides each season in Lethbridge, but if he wants to become an impact player when he makes the jump to the pros, he needs to get a little quicker and develop a stronger awareness. Richard wrote about the importance of Chadwick’s size and how well he uses it.
“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.”
Chadwick is in what will likely be his last season in the WHL before he joins the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies next season. If his newfound offensive game continues to develop at the pro level and he proves he can handle the uptick in speed and physicality, he could see himself as a call-up candidate for the Leafs as early as next season.
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