Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: No. 22 - Brady Peddle

The third of three third-round selections in this year’s draft, Peddle has shutdown defender potential.

The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list rolls on with a look at one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2025 third-round picks in Nova Scotia native, Brady Peddle.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
No. 25: Quinn Beauchense
No. 24: Cruz Lucius
No. 23: Travis Hayes

#22: Brady Peddle, D

2024 Ranking: N/A

Age: 18 (May 23, 2007)

Acquired Via: 2025 NHL Draft (Round 3, Pick 91)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 203 pounds

Elite Prospects resume:

The PensBurgh crew has been writing this summer about general manager Kyle Dubas’ aspirations for his Penguins to be “tougher to play against.”

This year’s entry-level draft also leaned quite heavily into that ideal, drafting several players who bring a bit of snarl and size to any lineup.

Peddle joins Peyton Kettles and Charlie Trethewey, who Pittsburgh took earlier in the draft as defensemen who have a nice size profile.

Peddle comes from a hockey-rich region of Canada. He played youth hockey with the Antigonish Bulldogs and later joined the Bishop Kearney Selects U‑16 AAA program in New York, where he tallied 16 goals and 31 assists in 58 games during the 2023–24 season.

Several scouts leading up to the draft highlighted Peddle’s imposing presence, but also noted how positively he progressed throughout the season, likely boosting his draft stock.

From the EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide:

Opponents know when Peddle is on the ice. Crushing open-ice hits, net-front maulings, overpowering crunches into the wall – if there’s a way to win a battle and inflict pain, he’ll find it. He complements the physicality with aggressive step-ups, quick rotations, and frequent communication.

Corey Pronman, The Athletic

Peddle started the season slowly, but he was one of the best defensemen in the USHL playoffs, logging big minutes for Waterloo. He’s a big, heavy defender who leans on checks effectively. I questioned his puck play early on, but it showed better in the second half, and he projects to make a reliable first pass. Peddle’s skating can look good or subpar, depending on which day you watch him. His technique is a bit awkward, but he shows lower-half power when he gets moving. If his skating progresses enough, he has a path to becoming a third-pair defenseman.

DobberProspects

Peddle was one of the biggest risers this spring, catapulting his draft stock with an electric USHL playoffs. He was the main catalyst on Waterloo’s blue line as they went all the way to the Clark Cup Finals, before losing in game 5. As the year wore on, Peddle got better, evolving into a tantalizing shutdown defenseman. He carries a good frame, skates well, and plays with an aggression to kill plays both with his stick and his body. There needs to be quite a bit of refining with Peddle but he’s an intriguing option for a team wanting to add some jam to their bottom pair.

Three different outlets help paint a picture of Peddle as something of a rising prospect, who perhaps has the ceiling of a fifth or sixth defenseman if all goes to plan.

While the Penguins need young impact players to replace the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and others, having adequate homegrown depth also helps to round out and possibly speed up a rebuild.

Peddle was recently invited to Pittsburgh’s prospect development camp, where, as part of Team Patrick in Game 3, he scored a goal for his squad.

Last season, Peddle played for the Waterloo Black Hawks in the United States Hockey League.

The defenseman appeared in 62 games, recording three goals and 10 points. In 15 postseason games, he racked up one goal, nine assists, and 10 points while his team made it to the Clark Cup Final. His 10 playoff points ranked second among all USHL defensemen.

Vice President of Player Personnel Wes Clark said after the draft that Peddle is “another big left-shot D that provides a ton of defensive utility.”

On a more personal level, a hockey player hailing from Nova Scotia post-2005 is almost always going to have a connection to Sidney Crosby, and Peddle is no different in that regard.

“Growing up, [Crosby] was obviously my favorite player,” Peddle said. “So, it was kind of surreal. I actually have a signed Sidney Crosby jersey that I had when I was like 10 years old, sitting in my basement.”

For 2025-26, Peddle will suit up for the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, putting pen to paper with the junior club on Monday.

The rights to Peddle were acquired during the 2025 QMJHL Draft. The Gatineau Olympiques originally held Peddle’s CHL rights, selecting Peddle in the third round of the 2023 QMJHL draft, but he never played for that team.

The Islanders acquired Peddle’s rights after trading back in the second round of the 2025 draft.

Islanders general manager and head coach Jim Hulton also sang the praises of the 18-year-old.

“Brady is a big body, elite defender who instantly makes us a better team. Both sides worked diligently over the past few months to get this deal done,” said General Manager & Head Coach Jim Hulton. “We are extremely happy to officially welcome Brady and his family to the Islanders organization.”

Peddle is committed to Michigan State University for the 2026-27 campaign.

If Peddle can improve his footwork and his transition game as he goes up the development ladder, it could do wonders for his long-term outlook.

The same can be said for his offensive game. Described as more of a shutdown, stay-at-home defender, if he taps into the offensive side of his game, it gives the Penguins a potential two-way threat down the line.

And “down the line” is the category where Penguins fans should place young Brady. Peddle is at least three to four years away from reaching the NHL, but the intangibles are there for a steady NHL-level defenseman.

He remains unsigned by the Penguins for now, but the NHL team retains his rights until Aug. 15, 2030, per PuckPedia.