Cade Littler is a big, gritty, exuberant power forward who is well equipped to play in a shutdown, matchup center role. He’s very detail orientated in his own zone and was relied on heavily this year in on his club despite his young age. He’s an aggressive player who uses his size and strength to his advantage, throwing huge hits when the opportunity presents itself or imposing his will in corners and along the wall in puck battles. He is a tough guy to deal with when he’s standing in front of the net, either his own or the opponent’s, because of his frame. He’s already an extremely polished penalty killer, and doesn’t get phased when asked to take important draws. He uses his anticipation and long reach to take away lanes and force opponents into making low-percentage plays. His skating has its pros and cons. He has long strides that generate tons of power and result in a good amount of straight-line momentum, but his edgework and balance could use some work moving forward. He’s a brave, driven player who seems like he always wants the puck on his stick, and although he doesn’t have the nimblest hands, he’s effective at dropping his shoulder and taking defenders wide and then going hard to the net off rushes. He didn’t put up gaudy scoring totals this season, but his whole team rarely generated offense and he did lead them in goals, so it’s fair to wonder if there is still some untapped potential to that area of his game. He is also a player who displays some solid leadership qualities, which will only help endear himself to teams. With his determination, physical tools, and attention to detail it’s very easy to project him eventually becoming a reliable, effective defensive center at the NHL level.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide