Bradly Nadeau
2023 round 1 #30 overall by Carolina Hurricanes
Position: W/C, Shoots: R
H/W: 5’11”, 172lbs
Date of Birth: 2005-05-05
Stats to Date: 22GP, 6-9-15, 14 PIM
With a tantalizing toolkit, Bradley Nadeau offered several key elements in his game that warranted a first-round pick in 2023. The big question mark was whether that toolkit could safely transition to the college and, eventually, the professional ranks.
With a potent freshman year within the NCAA circuit behind him, leading his University of Main in points (46), earning a Hockey East All-Rookie Team vote and a Hobey Baker nomination, he’s already passed one of those questions with flying colours. Now developing within the Carolina Hurricanes system, Nadeau is slowly finding his footing with the Chicago Wolves.
Nadeau is at his best when providing offence. While his success was relatively slow out of the gate, he caught fire in December and now enters his first World Junior Championship stint blazing hot. He enters his AHL hiatus sitting third among U20 skaters (second in points-per-game) with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 22 games.
Simply put, the New Brunswick product is a pure goalscorer with one of the highest-ranked shots among his entire draft class. Whether it’s coming off the rush or a one-timer or from sneaky off angles, his ability to load with both power and quickness is already NHL-caliber today. If there's anything keeping his future potential afloat, it’s his ability to light the lamp.
His work off the puck makes him such a threat in the offensive zone. Lurking from the perimeter, Nadaeu waits patiently on the sidelines for the right time to find the soft spots from behind the defence. Using a quick and highly flexed release, he can strike on a dime and leave little time for both the defenders and, more importantly, the goalie to react. More often than not, they both are too late.
The remainder of his offensive game remains relatively underrated. While his release will pay the bills, he can pull off quick one-touch passes and heads-up breakouts. With his head up, he’s able to make crafty plays and can pounce off the rush with developing speed.
The limitations in his game mimic those that have grown with his career. Standing 5’11”, 172lbs, the physical game continues to loom over his game and is now at the forefront as he battles with American league competition. It’s not for lack of effort, though. With quick feet, he’s in constant motion, which doesn't stop in the defensive end. He hounds, he provides pressure, and the effort is generally always there. It’s simply a matter of being effective and outmuscling opponents. Improving his ability to
In relatively quick succession, Naedau has leapfrogged several Hurricanes prospects and, now, less than years post-draft is already flirting with a role at the NHL level. With his offensive pedigree primed to make the leap, can his average skating mechanics and low defensive effectiveness follow along?
Characteristics
Skating
Bradly Naduea’s skating isn’t the flashiest or most effective. But he blends so many tools within his game that most can be forgiven. After all, he can provide a few quick steps to set himself for top speed, and when he’s going, he is one of the fastest north-south skaters on the ice. He’s able to change speeds on a dime, which can put defenders in a bind when manning inside the zone.
Getting closer to the bone, there are certain limitations in his overall mechanics. With deficiencies such as high strides, crossover hops and an overall limitation in his four-way ability, it all boils down to some polishing up.
One of the main issues keeping him from being a true separator is his lack of ability to mimic his strong and crafty hands at high speeds. He’s most effective when he slows the game down and works in a glide. The issue? While those in BCHL and even among the NCAA circuits, his ability to slow the game down from the blueline allowed him time to formulate a solid next step. In the American League, however, defenders seemingly read right through that, shutting things down promptly.
As a result, he’s had difficulty breaking through to the middle of the ice with the puck on his stick and has had several rushes kept to the perimeter. His blend of skating does not mix well with his lack of physical traits. He’s often pushed off pucks on the rush, which heavily limits his ability to gain entries or play the dump-and-chase game.
With all this said, we still aren’t particularly worried. As mentioned, he adds so many additional tools that he makes up for it in other areas of the ice. When cycling through the offensive zone, he can blend in his soft hands and find limeates with his high-end IQ.
Here are several instances in which he's able to gain speed to build toward the zone, only to slow things down and simply run out of real estate.
GRADE: 52.5
Shot
If you scour the archives for past 2023 draft reports, Connor Bedard brought home unanimous number-one ranks in nearly every ranking, including his shooting ability. Following a close second in that regard was Bradly Nadeau.
The Maritimer makes his living off scoring goals, which, as already mentioned, is what keeps him paid as a professional hockey player. From Auston Matthews-esque toe drag and heavy-set one-timer to crafty backhands and odd-angled snaps, he can generate power from anywhere and everywhere, making each night a living nightmare for opposing goaltenders.
When brainstorming some of the best shooters in the business, a few main qualities come to mind: power, deception, quickness and accuracy. Nadeau boasts all of them in spades and has the poise to develop into a bona fide 40-goal scorer.
Lurking from the perimeter, he backs off defenders to find smart off-puck routes before timing his spot to burst back in and utilize his main weapon of choice. While scoring is his aim, his heavy shot tends to lead to complications for the goaltender. With them handcuffed, the shot creates heavy rebound potential and stirs up good havoc at the net front.
This is to say that his shot is going to be a massive problem, whether it’s at the AHL or NHL level.
Right off the bat, we'll start with a couple of his booming one-timers, both of which happened to find the back of the net. In this first clip, he enters the zone locked and loaded before delivering one of his patented rockets.
Here, he floats into the open ice in the slot and lets off his quick release.
Even when he needs to let off a quick-loaded one-timer, the flex he can generate is well above average.
Awkward angle or an untimely pass? That's no problem; Nadeau can still let off an incredibly potent snap that troubles netminders.
Finally, he's incredibly poised on the breakaway, despite being a young rookie in his first professional stint.
GRADE: 60
Skills
The shot, the hands, the playmaking. It’s all there on a platter to enjoy on a nightly basis. As we’ve already covered, his release and ability to find the back of the net is his bread and butter, but his playmaking and soft hands are both underrated elements of his game. Underrated, only due to his shot being so lethal.
Being a lighter-framed player who has jumped the ranks in quick succession, he’s proven the ability to adapt to his environment, bringing his God-given offensive ability and adapting extremely well. He relies on quick hands, is capable of beating defenders in a phone booth, and makes quick passes to facilitate the play form within the offensive zone.
Offensively driven skill separates Naedau from the pack, and all of it is designed to help him find the best route to a potent shot on net. It’s all about flash, flash, flash.
Here, he’ll collect the bouncing puck from a failed attempt from a teammate, kick the puck to his stick and make a quick move around the pressuring defender. He converts that into a quick released snapshot, which nearly finds the upstairs.
Unfazed by the pressure, Nadeau goes in and out of the attacking defender, turning up the play to his linemate.
Collecting the puck at the blue line, he delivers a quick spin O Rama to shake off the defence, getting around on the outside and collecting a shot on net.
GRADE: 57.5
Smarts
If we’re being honest, Nadeau’s game is based primarily on his offensive ability and hard-line skill. If you’re looking for a two-way presence for your shutdown and penalty-killing minutes, he’s probably not your guy. On the contrary, if it’s a momentum-seeking goal you need, he's the perfect candidate to find the soft spots and get you back in the game. He’s offensive through and through.
His offensive game has yet to show the exact polish that we saw during his college and, even more so, his BCHL days, but his confidence is growing by the week, and his production is proof of work.
Sometimes, he struggles with the newfound time-and-space given, or lack thereof, which turns into rushed passes and fumbled pucks. Yet, the instances where his “old self” shines through are becoming more and more common as he navigates his pro game.
As we learned from his shooting ability, Nadeau brings a high level of offensive IQ. He understands the play being formed and plays with his head up at all times. When he gets the puck on his stick, his next move feels calculated and intentional.
In addition to his skilled shot selection, he plays an underrated passing game. Using his trigger-happy reputation, he’s able to coax defenders/netminders in before finding linemates with a deceptive pass. Or, on the breakout, you’ll typically find him using slick one-touch passes to kickstart the play up the other way. His hands are soft, and he uses various moves to maneuver in and out of his opponents.
With his quick processing and one-touch passing, he kickstarts the play without hesitation and catches the defence flat-footed.
He keeps his head up in the zone to scan the ice for his next move.
Here's a good example of him selling a shot to freeze the defensive wall before threading a pass to his linemate.
Here's a good example of him scanning the ice beforehand, setting himself up for the quick backhand dish for a good opportunity.
Like his poise on breakaways, he doesn't panic much in his game. If the play doesn't materialize, he's comfortable holding, scanning and finding a new play.
GRADE: 57.5
Physicality/Compete
Although a work in progress, his physical game still has an uphill climb ahead of him—one that he may never truly scale. With a 172-lb frame, his game has never truly been fit for the physical elements of the game. Whether it be board battles, 50/50 pucks, or net-front skirmishes, Nadeau is often on the losing end.
On several occasions, he can be seen bypassing his check in the defensive end, letting the defender get the inside track on him for a high-danger chance. He uses his crafty stick to deflect passes and break up plays, but he could use it more effectively to direct pucks off opponents' sticks.
That said, his deficiencies aren’t due to a lack of effort. As he does in the offensive zone, he keeps his feet moving at all times and makes his best attempt to throw his body around. He hounds, presses, and, despite being unable to win most battles physically, lays it all out on the ice with each shift.
As we've seen, Nadeau is an incredibly skilled forward who made a living by providing high-level maneuvers around his opposition. Unfortunately, the competition is a little more privy to these types of tricks, and he's had a more difficult time getting into the inside lane or getting around the defence.
Inboard battles, he was often outmuscled or taken down.
That said, his effort level does make up for his lack of strength. Even when losing the puck, he quickly gets back on his feet and hounds the puck carrier.
GRADE: 47.5