There are some new faces around Toronto Maple Leafs facilities. As junior leagues have their seasons finished, NHL teams are offered a brief window to take a look at players from those leagues. These players primarily come from either the NCAA or the CHL, and teams all across the NHL have players matching this description. Colin Graff, a highly touted NCAA free agent, is already playing some games with the San Jose Sharks. Last year, the Minnesota Wild got an early look at Brock Faber.
While circumstances don’t align for every player to see immediate NHL action, the handful of games remaining on the AHL and NHL schedules can be valuable for development. The Leafs have found a way to bring three defencemen into the fold, each with their own set of circumstances, each able to benefit from being around Leafs facilities and staff. Let’s take a look at each player and what lies ahead in their future.
Cade Webber
Headlining the group as the oldest and most experienced player, Cade Webber joins after his college season with Boston University came to an end with the team losing in the semifinal of the Frozen Four. Webber’s rights were acquired at the trade deadline from the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s expected to sign with the Leafs.
A 23-year-old left shot, Webber is a towering defensive presence, and an expert shot blocker, fully taking advantage of his 6’7” frame. Webber was captain for Boston University, a storied program with a stacked roster filled with some of the best young players not in the NHL. Thanks to his size, leadership, and his willingness to do the defensive dirty work, it is not hard to see Webber as an extension of GM Brad Treliving’s mission statement, to add snot to the Leafs program.
While Treliving did most of his work to upgrade and reshape the Leafs roster in the present, the move to acquire Webber is a potential long-term solution—and one that might not be too far away either. Webber should not be measured by his offensive totals, and he will not be scoring his way into the NHL. At 23 years old, Webber has done a lot of developing already and should be a lot closer than some of his teenage counterparts.
What to expect for Webber
To some extent, because of his advanced age for a prospect, there might be an expectation that Webber finds his way into one of the Leafs’ remaining regular season games, but this would be quite aggressive. This idea becomes even less likely when the Leafs’ specific circumstances are considered. A playoff team with a plethora of blueline options, as well as a number of injuries, the Leafs likely have too many more relevant options to get into game action before the playoffs start. Even at the AHL level, the Leafs boast a wealth of capable depth. There is a much greater chance that Weber will find his way into an AHL game or two, but even that is not guaranteed.
That said, there is a lot for Webber to gain by being around the Leafs facilities and getting some time against professionals, either in practices or games. At the very least it will be an eye-opening experience for Webber to get a taste of the increased level of competition heading into an offseason of training. Webber has the chance to see how his game translates to the next level, as well as what areas he might need to work on in that time.
Patience will pay off
If only in terms of conventional wisdom, honing defensive ability usually takes longer than offensive ability. The more important a defender, the more costly an error is, the less inexperience can be masked. There is a good chance that Webber will need some time in the AHL to be best prepared for a regular NHL role, and the Leafs will have time to do so risk free while Webber is still waiver exempt. It’s not impossible that Webber makes the team out of training camp next season, but in all likelihood, he will get a year or two of professional experience in the AHL before the conversation is forced.
In all, Webber was a shrewd pickup and could be a more permanent solution to the size issue that the Leafs have consistently tried to patch up with trade acquisitions over the Auston Matthews era. Time will tell how Webber develops. For now, he seems to be less physical than Simon Benoit, but perhaps a better in-zone defender. Webber should be a fantastic option on the penalty kill as well. There is no guarantee that the Leafs will have Mark Giordano, Joel Edmundson, or T.J. Brodie on the roster next season, which might greatly alter where Webber sits on the depth chart, but for now, fans shouldn’t have much expectation beyond getting to see how Webber settles in as a pro.
Noah Chadwick
The Leafs’ sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Noah Chadwick joins Easton Cowan as draft picks who have shown a ton of promise, taking huge steps in their post-draft seasons. Chadwick is significantly younger than Webber and will return to the WHL next season. Chadwick is far less likely to see any AHL action, as the Marlies are still fighting for a playoff spot. Still, the opportunity to practice with professionals and to have access to the Leafs’ resources is not lost on Chadwick, who seems to be relishing the moment.
While Webber fits the archetype that Treliving is known for, Chadwick is more aligned with the Leafs’ drafting strategy under Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark. Coming into his fourth draft at the helm, Clark and the Leafs have clearly valued their appraisal of projectability, often taking players who they perceive to have a lot of upcoming growth. The Leafs seem to have honed in on some successful ways to measure this, as Chadwick saw his offensive production take a huge step forward this season, alongside improvements to his overall game.
What to expect for Chadwick
At 6’4” Chadwick is another towering defender, but he clearly possesses offensive tools. Chadwick greatly increased his offensive production this season, primarily as a passer and as a dangerous distributor from the blueline. Thanks to his frame, there is a chance that Chadwick can become better defensively, at this point his main attribute being an active stick that can disrupt zone entries.
Chadwick does have another season of junior eligibility, meaning another season to impose himself upon the WHL next year. It is highly unlikely that Chadwick jumps straight from junior into an NHL lineup, meaning that on top of another junior season, we should expect at least one AHL season. At the very least, Chadwick appears to be embracing his stay in Toronto, eager to absorb as much as he can from the Leafs coaches and development staff.
Nicolas Mattinen
Slightly different from the other defencemen discussed in this piece, Mattinen was a sixth-round pick for the Leafs in 2016, the same draft as Auston Matthews. At 26 years old, Mattinen is significantly older and more experienced than Leslie, Chadwick, and even Webber. Mattinen is also expected to join the team next season. At 6 ‘6” Mattinen clearly fits the theme of tall defencemen that Leafs GM Brad Treliving has targeted.
Mattinen has followed an irregular path to get to this point, with a few twists and turns along the way. The Ottawa native started his OHL career with the London Knights on a historic team that featured Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, Robert Thomas, and Evan Bouchard. In his first two OHL seasons (105 games) Mattinen managed 18 points. In his fourth and final OHL season, Mattinen managed 61 points in 68 games, a significant increase in production.
Mattinen played two seasons at the University of Ottawa, finding his way into eight AHL games after his second USports season, before spending a year in Austria, followed by a year in the DEL, the top German league, this season. Mattinen excelled in both leagues, winning MVP this season. Though the DEL is not thought of as top tier, it is a quality league and winning MVP is clearly an achievement.
What to expect for Mattinen
Outside of his frame, Mattinen has a great shot, a powerful slapshot, and the ability to get wrist shots through traffic. Some might cite skating as a weaker point of his game, but at his size, it is quite likely that his skating will look worse than it actually is. At the very least Mattinen was able to stand out in the DEL, flying past opponents and walking across the blueline with some agility. Playing on the bigger ice surface might have forced Mattinen to rely on his skating more.
As a right-handed shot, Mattinen has the handedness and the size to make an impact on the Leafs depth chart next season. Mattinen will be a point of intrigue at training camp and through the preseason, and might even have a chance to get into some NHL games for the Leafs throughout the year. In all likelihood, the Leafs will try to have more established options in their fully healthy top-six, but Mattinen might be in competition for the first call-up on the right side.
For now, promising right-shot defender Topi Niemela might be Mattinen’s top competition for this role, but Mattinen clearly fits Treliving’s vision for a tall blueline in a way that Niemela does not. It would be foolish to think of Mattinen and Niemela not making the NHL team out of next season’s training camp as a failure, instead, they should be seen as quality call-up options and players to watch for.
