Penguins select Charlie Trethewey No. 73 overall in 2025 NHL Draft

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected defenseman Charlie Trethewey of the U.S. National Development Team with the No. 73 overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday

Through 63 appearances with the U.S. National Under-18 Team this season, the budding blue-liner finished fourth in team scoring among defensemen after registering six goals and 14 assists for 20 points, coupled with a plus-one rating and 35 penalty minutes. Trethewey also saw 24 showings with the USHL junior squad in which he came up with two goals and seven assists for nine points while notching eight penalty minutes and a team-best plus-16 mark. In all, through two seasons with the national program, Trethewey tallied 55 points in 115 games, plus 23 points over 57 contests in part of two campaigns in the USHL.

The 17-year-old product of Ellicott City, Md., also saw success in international competition, joining the American squad at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championship where through seven games he finished with one point, two penalty minutes, and a plus-three rating en route to a bronze-medal victory. The year prior, Trethewey linked up with the U.S. squad at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which saw him put together a dominant effort. In a best-on-best environment, Trethewey posted four goals and six assists for 10 points through seven games to finish second in team scoring and first among tournament blue-liners. That performance helped the Americans take home silver and earned Trethewey a spot on the tournament’s All-Star team.

But it’s not only Trethewey’s offensive touch that stands out to talent evaluators, who also point to his solid two-way game. Standing 6-foot-2, the right-shot rearguard brings ideal size and enough of a physical edge, giving him all of the tools to be an all-situations defenseman, with further development.

Trethewey will continue to grow his game in the collegiate ranks next season as he has committed to the Boston Terriers.