Maple Leafs draft a forward and a defenseman with their final 2 picks of the draft
With Kyle Dubas emptying the draft cupboard before his departure, the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2023 NHL Entry Draft with just 3 picks: 1st round, 5th round, and 6th round.
With the 28th overall pick in the first round, the Leafs drafted Easton Cowan out of London of the OHL. In the 5th round, the Maple Leafs drafted Hudson Malinoski out of the AJHL, and with their 6th round pick, they drafted, Noah Chadwick out of Lethbridge of the WHL.
Hudson Malinoski is a 19-year-old forward who stands in at 6'1 and 175 lbs, plays the centre position, and is a left-hand shot. Malinoski has committed to Providence College in the NCAA after playing for the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL in 2022-23.
In the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Malinoski scored 16 goals and 69 points in just 44 games. He finished as the 65th ranked North American skater, was 117th ranked by Daily Faceoff, and 162nd ranked by McKeen's Hockey. He is a smooth skater, has good puck handling abilities, and is great in transition.
Noah Chadwick was drafted in the following round with the 185th pick of the draft out of Lethbridge in the WHL. The 6'4 and 187 lbs defenseman played his first full season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and scored 5 goals and 20 points in 67 games.
Defensively, Chadwick is stout, angles his opponents out of the play, uses his long reach to perfection with well-timed poke checks, and he can skate very well for a player of his size. The offense should be incoming for the hulking defenseman and at 185th overall, the Leafs might have found a diamond in the rough. He was ranked 132nd by EliteProspects.
