Charlie Elick 2024 NHL Draft Profile

It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! Today, we are going to look at the 28th-ranked player in the TWC consolidated 2024 NHL Draft rankings. The 2024 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Who is Charlie Elick?

Player	Position	Handedness	Height	Weight
Charlie Elick	D	Right	6’3″	198 lbs

Elick’s on-ice production

Year	Draft Relative	League	Team	GP	G	A	P
2021–22	D-2	CSSHL U18	Edge School U18 Prep	26	9	16	25
		WHL	Brandon Wheat Kings	9	1	1	2
2022–23	D-1	WHL	Brandon Wheat Kings	56	3	8	11
		WHC-17	Canada White U17	6	0	2	2
2023–24	D+0	WHL	Brandon Wheat Kings	65	4	23	27
		WJC-18	Canada U18	7	0	3	3

The Calgary product grew up while playing hockey in Cowtown. I have posted his on-ice production, but do note that the offensive side of the game isn’t Elick’s specialty.

In 2021–22, Elick played for Edge School U18 Prep, where he scored at nearly a point-per-game pace. He also played with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, who drafted him third overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. Elick played with the Wheat Kings full-time in 2022–23 and played for Canada White at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

In his draft year, Elick played another full season with the Wheat Kings, scoring 27 points in 65 games. Elick just completed playing with Canada at the U18 World Championship, where he won gold.

Elick’s strengths

Skating

You might not think of a defensive defenceman being a good skater, let alone an elite one. But Elick has one of the better strides in this entire draft class. His skating style is very smooth and he can get up to top speed quickly.

Defensive play

Elick has great stick play to defend the rush or cycle. He can also use his body to drive through opposing players effectively. Elick definitely has a mean streak that accompanies his play. He’s one of those players that can punish the opposition and make their nights more difficult. He also uses his size and stick to push and force opponents away from the front of the net.

Elick’s areas of improvement

Play with the puck

As a defensive defenceman, Elick can struggle with the puck on his stick. He is not a natural puck-mover, and there can be some questionable plays made with the puck. This can be corrected with further experience. If used correctly with a focus on defensive play and a quick outlet pass, Elick could potentially be a second-pairing defender.

Elick’s comparables

Two players that have compared to Elick are Braden Schneider and Erik Gudbranson. Schneider also played with the Brandon Wheat Kings. He was drafted 19th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Fit with the Flames

One of the biggest needs for the Calgary Flames is at RD. The Flames have added some defensive prospects in recent months, notably Hunter Brzustewicz and Artem Grushnikov, but still lack high-end talent. Besides Brzustewicz, the entirety of the Flames defensive prospect base is left-handed.

To add, a lot of the prospects in Calgary’s system (like Jeremie Poirier, Hunter Brzustewicz) have more of an offensive package than a defensive one. Elick provides the Flames with a right-shot, plus a defensive prospect with more of a defensive focus.

Summary

Elick, a product of Calgary, is a smooth-skating defensive defenceman. He uses his size well in his own end but has some work to do when handling the puck. He is projected to be picked around the Vancouver first-rounder that the Flames own. Given that the Flames currently have one right-shot defensive prospect, Elick provides an opportunity to add to that arsenal. With Elick, the team that drafts him would get a defenceman with mobility, size, and toughness.

Risk: 2/5

Reward: 2.5/5

Projection: Number 4/5 defensive defenceman

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:

James JohnsonMay 8, 2024

2 minutes read