The power winger's game really came along with a very strong playoff performance.
There's now just one day remaining until the 2026 NHL draft, and it's almost time to see where this year's crop of outstanding talent will end up at the professional level.
Today's draft profile is on Rian Chudzinski, an American winger who really stepped up down the stretch and into the postseason for the Wildcats.
Chudzinski, 18, had 38 (21+17) points in 54 games in his rookie QMJHL season. He added six goals and 11 assists in 21 playoff games during Moncton's run to the final.
Rian Chudzinski's strong play down the stretch combined with his speed and power should see him selected in the top three rounds at this year's NHL draft. (Photo: Matthew Bloom)The 6-foot-1 right winger signed with Moncton for his 18-year-old QMJHL season (he's a late December birthday) ahead of this past season after playing at Dexter Southfield prep school in 2024-25.
He also has two games of experience with the USNTDP U18s, but largely developed in the U.S. prep school system before jumping to the Q, a path that is becoming more and more prevalent for some of these prospects.
Chudzinski's biggest strengths are his speed, motor, and power. He's able to drive at defenders with the puck, beat them wide and isn't afraid to cut to the net. On the forecheck, he's a hound on the puck and is strong at retrieving pucks in the offensive zone.
He's also a credible and hard-working two-way winger who backchecks hard and has a pretty strong stick to turn pucks over in the neutral zone.
His game really came together as the season went on, and as Chudzinski got adapted into the QMJHL, Moncton really started to fly.
This culminated in his awesome playoff run that has really put him on the board for a lot of scouts in and outside of the league. It seems like hard forecheckers and guys who can hit are always in demand following the NHL playoffs, and players like Chudzinski tend to rise because of that.
Now, there still are some flaws in his game. Offensively, the potential isn't sky high, as the Needham, MA, product lacks some playmaking skill and his offensive brain ends up being pretty simplistic most of the time.
It's probably likeliest his NHL projection is as a bottom-six, pest winger who everyone enjoys having on their team, but is far from a superstar.
These players are important and always in-demand across the league, but there does tend to be an excess of them at times, so it's unlikely Chudzinski garners any attention as a top-50 picks because of that.
But, past that, his name is absolutely in contention. It's expected he hears his name called sometime in the third round, potentially the late-second if things shake out in a favourable way.
Then, it'll be on Chudzinski to go back to the Q and continue to do the things he does well, while levelling up the rest of his game.
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