Late-Round 6-foot-4 Maple Leafs Draft Pick on Track to Become NHL Defenseman

Normally, when a team makes a pick so deep into the NHL draft, often times those picks go nowhere, though many times you find some diamonds in the rough such as Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Miller, and Joe Pavelski.

These players all carved out legendary Hall of Fame careers even though they were picked much later than several other draft picks who ended up as draft busts instead.

That's great news for the Maple Leafs then, who are seeing the emergence of a late draft pick making a legitimate case for a look to play on the blue line next season, that being the 185th overall pick in 2023: Noah Chadwick.

Standing a humongous 6'4 and 205 pounds, the 19-year old from Saskatoon certainly has the size to play on the team next season, but it's what he's doing with the puck that makes things very interesting.

Toronto needs another offensively gifted puck moving defender to give them better outlet passes and provide better transitions into the offensive zone.

They really only have Morgan Rielly and an aging Oliver Ekman-Larsson; and with his 39 assists then Chadwick could be the man.

Compared to other top picks like Topi Niemala, Marshall Rifai, and Mikko Kokkonen, Chadwick offers both the size and can actually produce offensively.

William Villeneuve is another interesting name who has picked things up recently, and is in a similar spot to Chadwick, having a stellar offensive season with the Marlies.

The issue with the young blue liner is his skating, as he's not the strongest on his feet and gets pushed off the puck very easily. At 6'4 he's not the fastest on the ice, and if he gets caught pinching then it's very likely a 2-on-1 for the opposition.

But he's not even 20, and putting up back-to-back 50+ point seasons in a historically more defensive junior hockey league is impressive, and to do it at his size even more so.

He's also captain of his junior team Lethbridge, so leadership is something that is already instilled in him and will only grow over time; a huge factor in keeping an NHL career for any amount of length.

If Chadwick can get his feet under him, and perhaps work with the Maple Leafs' skating consultants Paul Matheson and Michele Moore Davison during camp and in the preseason, he could not only make a strong case to start with the Marlies, but earn an early season call-up too.

Plus, look at Toronto's defense. They have three defensemen under 30, with Simon Benoit the youngest at 26.

It's not a group of spring chickens, and given Chadwick has the potential to gain that defensive grounding with improved skating; it's a great sign for the future.

It may not be the easiest road to the show for Noah Chadwick, and he may end up in the same position as several of the Leafs drafted defenders.

But he's also a two-way beast who offers Toronto a unique blend of size, skill, and raw potential.

Not bad for 185th overall.