CHL notebook: Top defensemen this season

Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Every other
week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. This week, a look at some of the top defensemen so far.

As the CHL season enters its third month, a few defensemen have stepped up to become leaders on their team. Here are several of the top performers so far (listed in alphabetical order; all stats are entering Friday).

Kashawn Aitcheson, Barrie, OHL (New York Islanders)

Aitcheson has goals in five straight games, including game-winners on back-to-back days. He scored from the slot 30 seconds into overtime for a 5-4 win against Brantford on Oct. 29; one day later the 19-year-old needed only 20 seconds of extra hockey to win it for Barrie as he got to the front of the net to score on the rebound of a shot by Cole Beaudoin (Utah Mammoth) in a 3-2 win against Sarnia.

Selected by the Islanders in the first round (No. 17) of the 2025 NHL Draft, Aitcheson has nine points (six goals, three assist) during a five-game point streak, and leads OHL defensemen with 12 goals in 17 games.

Simon-Pier Brunet, D, Victoriaville, QMJHL (Buffalo Sabres)

Brunet has been a bright spot during a tough start for Victoriaville, which is last in the Western Conference (6-8-2). The 20-year-old is tied for second on the Tigres and tied for second among QMJHL defensemen with 12 assists in 15 games.

The Sabres selected Brunet in the fourth round (No. 123) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Ben Danford, D, Brantford, OHL (Toronto Maple Leafs)

After entering his fourth season with Oshawa, Danford was traded to Brantford on Oct. 30, and has wasted little time making friends on his new team. He had two assists in his first game, including one on the first goal of a 7-0 win against Flint on Nov. 1. A day later, he had two more assists, including one on the first goal of the game, in a 6-2 victory against Saginaw.

The 19-year-old, selected by the Maple Leafs in the first round (No. 31) of the 2024 draft, has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 11 games this season.

Charlie Elick, D, Tri-City, WHL (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Elick had his first three-point game of the season, with a goal and two assists in a 4-3 overtime win against Medicine Hat on Nov. 2. He scored in the second period and then had an assist on a power-play goal in overtime. The 19-year-old has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 13 games, matching the eight points (two goals, six assists) he had in 33 games with Tri-City last season after being acquired in a trade
with Brandon.

The Blue Jackets selected Elick in the second round (No. 36) of the 2024 draft.

Blake Fiddler, D, Edmonton, WHL (Seattle Kraken)

Fiddler had his first three-point game of the season with three assists to help Edmonton rally from a 4-1 first-period deficit for an 8-4 win against Swift Current on Nov. 2. The 18-year-old is second among Oil Kings defensemen with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 17 games.

The Kraken selected Fiddler in the second round (No. 36) of the 2025 draft.

Noah Laberge, D, Newfoundland, QMJHL (Buffalo Sabres)

Laberge had his first three-assist game in three seasons in the QMJHL in a 7-2 win against Shawinigan on Nov. 1. Two of them came on power-play goals 18 seconds apart in the second period that turned a 3-1 lead into a 5-1 advantage. A day later, he had two assists in a 6-5 overtime loss to Shawinigan that gave him seven points (one goal, six assists) during a four-game point streak.

Selected by the Sabres in the fifth round (No. 135) of the 2025 draft, the 19-year-old has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 14 games.

Bryce Pickford, D, Medicine Hat, WHL (Montreal Canadiens)

Pickford leads WHL defensemen with seven goals in 15 games and is on pace to score 31 this season. He would be the fourth WHL defenseman with at least 30 goals in the past 10 seasons, along with Carter Yakemchuk (30, 2023-24), Olen Zellweger (32, 2022-23) and Connor Hobbs (31, 2016-17).

The 19-year-old was selected by the Canadiens in the third round (No. 81) of the 2025 draft.

Cameron Reid, D, Kitchener, OHL (Nashville Predators)

Reid had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) during a seven-game point streak that ended Nov. 1. It was his longest such streak in three OHL seasons. That included the game-winning power-play goal in the third period of a 3-1 win against North Bay on Oct. 26. He also had an assist and was on the ice for a short-handed empty-net goal with 1:17 left in the third that sealed the victory.

The 18-year-old, selected by the Predators in the first round (No. 21) of the 2025 draft, has 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 14 games.

Tarin Smith, D, Everett, WHL (Anaheim Ducks)

Smith had three assists in a 7-2 win against Spokane to give him five during a three-game point streak that coincides with Everett's three-game winning streak. The Silvertips are second in the WHL standings with 27 points (13-1-1), and Smith leads Everett defensemen and is tied for third among WHL defensemen with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 14 games.

The Ducks selected the 19-year-old in the third round (No. 79) of the 2024 draft.