The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed blue liner Noah Chadwick to a three year entry level contract the club announced Friday.
Chadwick, 18, has spent the last 3 seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, recording 47 points (14G, 33A) across 110 games. The Saskatoon native was selected by the Leafs in the 6th round (185th overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
The 6’4″ defenseman was the final of three selections Toronto had at last year’s draft, and their only blue liner chosen. The Maple Leafs also selected Easton Cowan and Hudson Malinoski in a relatively quiet draft week for the club.
Toronto is bullish on Chadwick, not only because of his NHL ready frame, but also because of his offensive upside as puck moving defenseman. Averaging nearly a point per game (24 across 30 contests) for Lethbridge this year, Chadwick has increased his points total every season throughout his major-junior career.
While he won’t be making the jump to the NHL ranks anytime soon, by signing him to his ELC now, and letting his contract slide, Toronto will be able to pay Chadwick signing bonuses now in an effort to lower his eventual cap hit when his contract goes into effect.
The Leafs are next in action Saturday night in Columbus.
Photo: Erik Forsberg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.