Why the Maple Leafs Signed Defenseman Noah Chadwick to a Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract
Wickenheiser said in July that Chadwick is very smart, adding that he's the Lethbridge Hurricanes' top academic player "that they've seen for a long time."
The Maple Leafs signed defensive prospect Noah Chadwick to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday, showing that there could be promise for the 18-year-old.
Chadwick was drafted in the sixth round (185th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft by Toronto after scoring 20 points in 67 games with the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2022-23.
The six-foot-four, 201-pound left-shot defenseman has seven goals and 17 assists in just 30 WHL games this season, showing that he's taken another step offensively with Lehbridge.
Chadwick may be tall, but he's a smooth skater who can also evade his opponents with tight edges. With his size, too, the 18-year-old will have a chance to fill out his frame and become a strong defenseman as he grows older.
"He moves across the blue line really well, seems to have some nice hands and some sense, can shoot the puck," Maple Leafs assistant general manager, Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, said at the end of Maple Leafs development camp in July.
"He's a pretty intelligent kid both on and off the ice and he'll be an interesting project. He's got, again, the size that you're hearing about, and so [that's] something we don't have in the organization with a prospect."
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Chadwick is 13th among WHL defensemen in points this season. The 18-year-old also leads all defensemen on Lethbridge in scoring while also placing fourth in most points on the team.
With an entry-level contract, Chadwick knows he has a path with Toronto. What he does with the opportunity in the future is yet to be seen, but the 18-year-old is thrilled to be a part of the Maple Leafs organization.
"It's such a storied franchise, and like original six, it's amazing," Chadwick said during Maple Leafs development camp earlier this summer.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
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