Charlie Elick

March 2025 – The Columbus Blue Jackets signed Elick to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season. Mark Henry

March 2025 – Elick is known for his ability to force play outside the dots and be a solid physical presence in a shutdown role. His puck handling and decision-making need improvement to transition to the pro level, but his NHL upside remains promising. Owen Hilsinger

June 2024 – Elick was selected in the second round, 36th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hadi Kalakeche

April 2024 – Charlie Elick is the type of defenseman who seems easy to project into a future NHL lineup. While Elick has been relatively productive, his interest stems more from his dependable transition game and effective (and physical) defensive game. Elick has an excellent first pass out of the defensive zone and—complimented by strong four-way mobility—makes him one of the best defensive zone transition defensemen in the WHL. Elick’s skating and strong 6’3 frame also lend themselves well to his robust defensive game. Elick closes gaps, defends the line well, wins pucks and net-front battles, and easily transitions retrievals into offense. He is also very physical and can level punishing body checks without chasing hits. Elick shows much promise as a second-pair, matchup defenseman at the next level. Luke Sweeney (April Rankings: 36th)

February 2024 – Charlie Elick, our second WHL defender off the board, is a much more poised, meat-and-potatoes player than our first, Carter Yakemchuk. However, like Yakemchuk, Elick is a physically developed right-shot defenceman (6-3, 200 pounds). Elick’s skating forward, backward, and laterally is all very strong, though he uses this more for defensive purposes than as a transition leader. Besides his physical attributes, Elick is a much more developed, mature defender than his fellow WHLers in this draft. He uses his skating ability to close gaps, deny the defensive blueline, and use his strength and athleticism to box out the front, win battles below the goal line, and crush the opposition with body checks. Though his offensive game is coming along and might not translate to higher levels even if refined, it would not be surprising to see a player of this profile come off the board even earlier. Luke Sweeney