<p>Heading into the 2023 U-17 World Hockey Challenge, scouts were very intrigued by USA Hockey National Team Development Program defender Charlie Trethewey.</p>



<p>He was leading the team in scoring at the time, playing heavy minutes like we’ve seen from guys like Lane Hutson and Seamus Casey in recent years.</p>



<p>He lived up to expectations at that tournament, scoring four goals and 10 points in seven games to finish tied for second in tournament scoring (and five points clear of the second-best defender). By all accounts, he looked like a future first-round pick and perhaps one of the first defenders off the board for 2025. </p>



<p>But a lackluster finish to the season didn’t help. This year, he has just six goals and 19 points in 54 games with the U-18 USNTDP squad. He still played a ton of key minutes with the U-18 squad, but many scouts consider him a second-rounder at best now.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="154"></div>



<p>But players who fall like that can still be intriguing. The raw talent is there for Trethewey –&nbsp;and if the execution follows, he could be a steal when the draft heads to Los Angeles this June.</p>



<p>Trethewey is set to play for the United States at the IIHF U-18 World Hockey Championship in Texas. It’s the last chance this 2007-born USNTDP team has to win gold after falling short at the U-17s a year ago. USA won gold in 2023, but took home silver in 2022 and 2024. They actually enter the tournament as medal underdogs, a rare situation for a program that routinely finds itself as the one to beat.</p>



<p>But if Trethewey can step up, the Americans could surprise people. The team lacks a true No. 1 talent, and just two program players feature in <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-schaefer-misa-hagens-top-75-before-u-18-world-championship">Daily Faceoff’s top 75 prospects list </a>published earlier this week. Trethewey himself comes in at No. 50, midway through the second round. Many other public rankings have him even deeper, with NHL Central Scouting listing him as the 46th-best North American skater.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="179"></div>



<p>Trethewey appears ready to start the tournament on USA’s second pairing, with projected top 20 prospect Blake Fiddler sliding in ahead of him on the right side. That reduced responsibility could prove fruitful for Trethewey, who was often given many difficult matchups this year. Often, Trethewey had to be one of USA’s most dangerous players against college athletes, something he didn’t take lightly.</p>



<p>“The college teams are a really good contest,” Trethewey said earlier in the season. “They’re a lot older – 4-5-6 years older than us. I think it’s a really good challenge, and some of the things that I’ve learned are playing against older, tougher players.”</p>



<p>Trethewey has only gained a few pounds since joining USA Hockey. But scouts have noticed that he’s a lot more contained, physically, than he was early on in his USNTDP tenure. He’s still prone to taking penalties, but he’s at lot more controlled in the way he challenges players physically, and nobody seems to scare him.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="164"></div>



<p>Trethewey is a right-handed blueliner, and he happens be born in August. Scouts like both of those because, A) RHD are coveted and B) the extra runway is never bad to have at this age. They also like how he hits hard, can handle the puck better than most and he moves well, too. </p>



<p>One thing that seems to be holding him back, though, is his decisions with the puck while under pressure. He’s prone to some defensive gaffes in his own zone, but we saw similar mistakes with Lane and Cole Hutson, too. </p>



<p>“The first thing that comes to mind is my gaps,” Trethewey said about his improvements this year. “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.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="141"></div>



<p>Trethewey’s lack of production didn’t help his draft status. But scouts still see a raw talent with a ton of translatable skills. With more refinement and confidence, many believe Trethewey can still become an excellent value pick, most likely in the second or third round. Like any prospect that falls during a draft year, there are still many that’ll look at the high points and bank on more coming. Sure, other defenders ultimately surpassed him this year, but Trethewey’s core traits that made him so intriguing a year ago still remain.</p>



<p>We’ll see how the U-18s impact his final standing.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Recent Articles from Steven Ellis</h2>



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