Why the Maple Leafs should pursue Charlie Trethewey with 2nd-round pick

Charlie Trethewey is a dynamic player who caught the attention of scouts several years before his NHL Draft year. He’s an excellent skater who models his game after Charlie McAvoy and while his draft stock declined this year, perhaps a function of being in the spotlight for too long, Trethewey would represent excellent value for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the second round of the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft.

Trethewey was ranked as the 46th-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting and could be available when the Maple Leafs make their first selection this year. He possesses an excellent shot and he still has ample time to develop, where scouts are primarily concerned with his ability to rely on pure skill and talent, with a propensity to overcomplicate the game.

Here’s what Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote about Trethewey:

Trethewey is a solid, two-way defenseman who, at times, has shown some serious flash. This year felt a bit disappointing, especially given how strong he started his junior career two years ago. But he’s a tremendous skater, can play physical and has good offensive insticts, but he just needs to tone down the mistakes. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft, is a right-handed shot, and he’s smart, too. Trethewey is prone to trying to do too much, but he’s still a reasonable project prospect.

“The first thing that comes to mind is my gaps,” Trethewey said to Ellis, about what he’s trying to improve, in April. “Trying to be tighter in good stick position, trying to close plays down as fast as I can. I want to disrupt them and turn them into offense.”

Trethewey’s skill set and shot may be too alluring for the Maple Leafs to pass up. Toronto will need to add quality defencemen to its barren prospect pool and while Ben Danford was selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, he may be the only defensive prospect in the system who could make a meaningful impact at the NHL level. Trethewey isn’t expected to graduate to the NHL immediately and he can refine his game at the NCAA level with Boston University next fall, after two seasons with the USA Hockey National Development Team Program. As a function of win-now mode, the Maple Leafs will need to take some home-run swings at this year’s draft and betting on Trethewey’s upside, weighed against mistakes often born of aggression and ambition, should be a priority for this iteration of the franchise.