Leafs may have hit a home run with 6-foot-4 defensive prospect
For contending clubs like the Toronto Maple Leafs, hitting on your late round draft picks is almost as important as finding great value in the first two rounds. In most cases, Stanley Cup aspiring teams might not even have draft picks in the first 2 rounds, let alone 3, which makes the later rounds that much more critical.
The Maple Leafs have done a pretty good job in recent years with players like Brandon Lisowsky, Ty Voit, Vyacheslav Peksa, and Ryan Tverberg just to name a few - all of whom were also drafted after the 5th round. The Leafs might have found yet another diamond in the rough with defenseman Noah Chadwick.
The Leafs only had 3 picks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and selected Easton Cowan in the first round, Hudson Malinoski in the 5th, and Chadwick in the 6th. The 6'4/200lbs defenseman is off to a hot start as he has almost matched his 2022-23 point totals in 45 less games.
Chadwick has 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points in just 21 games after scoring 5 goals and 20 points in 67 games last season for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He may not be a well-known name just yet but EliteProspect had a favourable bio on the left-handed defender:
"Chadwick moves through pass receptions, fakes plays, uses space, looks for teammates around the slot over shooting from the point. If a point shot's the best play, he usually aims for sticks instead of corners. He shows a similar desire to create in transition, forgoing dump-outs for passes through opponents, deceiving if necessary. Defensively, he gets on opponents early and angles them to the outside; his well-timed pokes and stick work make him an effective rush defender"
Chadwick is on pace for 19 goals and 54 points if he keeps up his pace and for a 6th round pick who is only 18-years-old, that's a pretty formidable way to start your career.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/603568/noah-chadwick
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 22 | 413 ANSWERS Leafs may have hit a home run with 6-foot-4 defensive prospect Do you think Noah Chadwick will ever become an NHL defenseman? | ||
| Yes, but not for 4 or 5 years | 102 | 24.7 % |
| Yes, but not for 2 or 3 years | 222 | 53.8 % |
| No, he just won't make it | 52 | 12.6 % |
| He'll be traded at some point | 37 | 9 % |
| List of polls | ||
