NHL Draft Profile: Defenseman Charlie Leddy

Charlie Leddy is an incoming freshman at Boston College after playing 2021-22 with the U18 US National Team and the USNTDP Juniors, along with his more minor contributions to the USA U18 in the WJC. And now he’s eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Fairfield, CT native is a true defenseman and not much of a goal-scorer. In fact, he didn’t score a single goal in the 2021-22 cycle and rarely did so before then as well. He makes up for this apparent offensive ceiling with great defensive play, and earned a spot on the US National U18 team for a reason. Scouts have called him a powerful skater with a tough style of defense that consistently moves opponents out of their spots with force. This type of big, tough defense was a pillar of past Boston College men’s championship teams, but something that seems to have fallen by the wayside in this new era of college hockey.

As for the NHL Draft, NHL Central Scouting ranks him at 117th among North American skaters, which would slot him in as a mid-round pick. McKeen’s Hockey has him at 128th, and Draft Prospects Hockey has him at 176th. These rankings are fluid and not always accurate to what specific teams have on their own big boards, but they can give you a general idea of where players may be drafted.

His stock has been falling a bit over the past couple years, largely due to his offensive struggles, but it remains strong nonetheless. He’s a defense-first defensemen and those guys still get drafted all the time. For Leddy, anywhere from a 4th to 6th round pick wouldn’t be surprising. It’ll be a bit disappointing if he goes undrafted, but it’s not impossible.