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.
A 6-foot-4 defenceman who scores at close to a point per game place? Noah Chadwick has all the makings of a future fan favourite, and for good reason. The kid is exciting to watch, which is why he now sits at #4 on our prospect rankings.
Selected in the 6th round of the 2023 NHL draft, Chadwick wasted no time in showing 31 NHL teams why they made a mistake by letting the Toronto Maple Leafs draft him. After scoring only 20 points in 67 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes in his draft year, Chadwick would go on to nearly triple that number in each of the following seasons, scoring 56 points in 2023/2024, and 53 points last season. To cap it all off, Chadwick ended his WHL career with an impressive playoff performance, helping to lead his team to the Conference Finals by putting up 14 points in 16 playoff games.
More than just a leader on the scoresheet, Chadwick is also a leader in the dressing room, having been named Captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season shortly after winning the CHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year Award given to the Canadian Hockey League player who is best combines success on the ice with success in school.
“Chadwick not only prioritized his academics, he excelled in the classroom, graduating Grade 12 a year early and beginning his post-secondary studies at Athabasca University and Lethbridge College,” reads the press release at the time of Chadwick’s award win. “At his high-school graduation, Chadwick was recognized with the Governor General Award, presented to the student with the highest grades in his graduating class. At Lethbridge College, Chadwick earned a 98-percent average in English 1150 – Academic Writing this fall. Working through Introduction to Statistics at Athabasca University, Chadwick secured a 93-percent average, while also recording a 91-percent grade in Psychology as a Natural Science.”
While high grades can’t be directly responsible for helping a hockey player win games, Chadwick’s incredible academic career shows what kind of player he could be. An intelligent young prospect who knows the value of working hard and applying himself, exactly the kind of player who could be attractive to an NHL club looking to turn a 6th round pick into a future asset on their blueline.
On the ice, Chadwick is a thrilling player to watch, prioritizing making an offensive play rather than dumping the puck. His intelligence is on display whenever the puck is on his stick, capable of luring opposing players in only to create space and fire the puck up the ice to initiate a rush on net.
Defensively, he’s not afraid to use the size found in his 6-foot-4 frame to cut off angles and finish checks but does noticeably play without the sort of snarl one would expect from a defender who towers over most of the opposition, especially in the WHL where many younger players can be significantly smaller. If Chadwick is to make the jump to the NHL, learning to take full advantage of his size both with and without the puck will be an asset moving forward.
Chadwick will never be the fastest player on the ice, but he makes up for a lack of speed with positional intelligence, rarely ever caught out of position on defence, and consistently moving offensively. Thanks to his size, he’s an asset at clearing out areas in front of the net both by using his stick to knock the puck away and using his body to cut off shooting angles.
This season, Chadwick will be with the Toronto Marlies full time after getting a cup of coffee in the AHL two years ago, playing a single game with the club following Lethbridge’s first round exit. While he should still be considered a long-term project, only two years removed from nearly going undrafted, Chadwick’s path to the NHL may come sooner than even the most ambitious Maple Leafs scouts would have expected come draft day. The Toronto Marlies have a notable lack of any blue-chip prospect on defense, and with former third round picks Topi Niemela and Mikko Kokkonen (who finished 2nd and 3rd on the team in points by defencemen) both leaving Toronto to sign in Sweden, suddenly the door is wide open for Chadwick to step in and prove himself and the value he brings as a defender and powerplay quarterback.
If there’s two things Toronto Maple Leafs fans are always demanding more of, it’s size and defenders who can play the puck. Noah Chadwick brings both to the table and has a real chance to cement himself as Toronto’s latest draft steal.
