Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Prospect: Charlie Trethewey

Charlie Trethewey: USHL defenseman, formerly of Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, projected as first-round pick in 2025

This series will profile NHL Draft hopefuls hailing from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program

In 2008, a grassroots hockey campaign began its first leg in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area when Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins program was launched.

Flash forward 16 years later, and not only is Crosby’s program – and higher levels of the program called “Elite” programs – now part of every NHL city, but the league itself is seeing more and more products of the Penguins’ youth initiative program from the Western Pennsylvania region.

One of those players is 2025 NHL Draft prospect Charlie Trethewey.

Trethewey, 17 (2007 class), hails from Ellicott City, Maryland, but he spent a chunk of his youth as part of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program. Since Crosby came into the league, youth hockey participation has spiked across the country, but especially in Western Pennsylvania – making it a newfound hotbed for top prospects such as Trethewey.

And make no mistake: Trethewey is almost certainly going to be drafted in the first round.

The 6’1”, 190-pound defenseman is an excellent playmaker with a heavy shot and uses his physicality advantageously, making him an upper-grade offensive threat from the blue line. He profiles as reliable and steady yet dynamic offensively, and according to Elite Prospects, his best attributes are his passing and his puckhandling. He has committed to Boston University (BU) in 2025-26.

Trethewey played for the 13U, 14U, and 15U Pittsburgh Penguins Elite programs before being selected to Little Caesar’s 15U AAA in 2022-23, and this is where his draft profile really took off. He registered 20 goals and 86 points in 82 games, which secured him a spot on both the U.S. National U17 Team and on the USNTDP Juniors (USHL) in 2023-24.

His performance – 16 goals and 49 points in 85 games between the two – earned him a roster spot on Team USA for World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he registered four goals and 10 points in 7 games.

Most draft boards project Trethewey, a top two-way U.S. junior defenseman, to be drafted within the top-15 in 2025, putting yet another Little Penguins/Pittsburgh Penguins Elite product in position to make an impact at the NHL level.

THREE STRENGTHS:

Playmaking
Puckhandling
Physicality

THREE WEAKNESSES:

Shot accuracy
Shot Blocking
Awareness

DRAFT NATION PROJECTED 2025 NHL DRAFT POSITION: 11-15

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Kelsey Surmacz, Guest Contributor