Next on this list of the top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs prospects is Noah Chadwick, ranked at No. 7.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all under 23. Therefore, players such as William Villeneuve, Artur Akhtyamov and Easton Cowan, among others, won’t feature in this ranking for either or both of those particular reasons.
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In terms of where these players fall in the rankings, it is a mix of their ceiling and potential, as well as how they’ve performed in the past year with their respective clubs.
Chadwick was a late pick by the Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL draft, selected 185th overall in the sixth round. Though he was selected late in his draft class, the left-handed defenseman has developed like a player who was taken in the first three rounds.
The season before Toronto drafted Chadwick in 2022-23, his first full WHL campaign with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the blueliner recorded five goals and 20 points in 67 appearances.
But in 2023-24, the season after the Maple Leafs drafted him, Chadwick developed soundly and produced efficiently from the back end. By the end of that campaign, he finished in the top 10 among WHL defensemen in scoring with 12 goals and 56 points in 66 games. His numbers were also good enough to finish fifth on the team in scoring and lead all D-men on the Hurricanes.
Maple Leafs NHL Prospect Ranking: No. 8, Harry Nansi
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The 6-foot-4 Chadwick wasn’t only evolving as a hockey player, but also as a leader. He was an alternate captain during 2023-24 and was named captain of Lethbridge the following season.
Chadwick was just as impressive for the Hurricanes with the ‘C’ on his chest. He registered 13 goals and 53 points in 66 regular-season outings, but really stepped into the light with his post-season performance.
Maple Leafs NHL Prospect Ranking: No. 9, Tyler Hopkins
Lethbridge advanced to the third round of the 2025 WHL playoffs, and plenty of that had to do with how Chadwick stepped up. The Saskatoon native recorded seven goals and 14 points in those 16 playoff games. He tied for third in team playoff scoring and was among the league’s top scorers in his position. The Hurricanes wound up getting eliminated by Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers.
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After his standout performance in his final season of junior hockey, Chadwick joined the Toronto Marlies in the AHL this past year.
Chadwick mostly looked the part in his rookie season in the American League. He ended the year with five goals and 23 points in the regular season, notching a minus-two rating.
Noah Chadwick Could Be Maple Leafs’ Next Diamond In The Rough
He doesn’t have the same responsibility as he did with the Hurricanes, of course, meaning he doesn’t see the ice as much as defensemen such as Villeneuve, Dakota Mermis or a healthy Marshall Rifai. However, just like in Jr., his role will continue to expand, especially with Henry Thrun now a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
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In the midst of all this growth that Chadwick has endured, he is still 21 years old with plenty of room to improve this coming season. A Calder Cup championship could only make this player more confident in his abilities as a defenseman and more comfortable as the leader he’s proven to be at previous levels in hockey.
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