Malcolm Spence 2025 NHL Draft Profile

Spence’s on-ice production

Spence has improved his point totals in three straight OHL seasons. You’ll notice Spence notched a lot more goals this season with 32, compared to 16 and 19 in his previous two seasons in Erie. His assist totals have remained very consistent over the last two seasons.

Spence played at both the WJC-18 and Hlinka Gretzky Cup in his D-1 season and was a point-per-game in both. He scored the winning goal in the Hlinka Gretzky to give Canada the gold.

Spence’s strengths

Competitiveness and all-around game

Spence is effective in all areas of the ice. He plays a north-south game, which should tantalize some GMs when they think about future NHL playoff runs. I know it’s cliche, but Spence is a competitive and hard-working player for the most part. He has come up huge in big games. Spence is a gold medalist in both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and at the WJC-18. He is relied upon very heavily on both sides of special teams in Erie.

Size

Spence brings an intriguing package given he is already at 200 lbs and 6’2″. That’s an effective size to use to your advantage, and Spence does just that. He brings a physical edge, disrupting opposing players in their own zone and forcing turnovers. He has that unique ability of getting opposing players off their game due to his constant and effective forecheck.

Spence’s areas of improvement

Offensive ceiling

The one real knock on Spence’s game is that he probably won’t reach the offensive ceiling of other players. He’s not a great puck carrier, so he’s going to need more skilled players to transport the puck for him. We’ve seen Spence fall a bit in draft rankings as the 2024–25 season went along, largely due to teams viewing him as a bottom-six player rather than a top-six.

Spence’s comparables

I look at a guy like Chris Kreider being the absolute ceiling for Spence if everything goes right. Not the most skilled guys on the line, but they can use their size and skill to become a positive contributor to their line and make their linemates better. If he doesn’t quite hit that offensive ceiling, he could form an identity in the middle-six like Nino Niederreiter, Warren Foegele, or Marcus Foligno.

Fit with the Flames

The Flames have a lot of left-shot wingers on their roster and in their system already. So, maybe they look at another position. Spence is projected to land right around where Calgary will be selecting at 18th, so there’s a possibility he’s the best player available.

His combination of size and skill is something the Flames have targeted in recent drafts, looking at guys like Sam Honzek, William Stromgren, and Jacob Battaglia. You also have some late-round guys like Parker Bell and Lucas Ciona. The left-shot size archetype is something the Flames certainly target and have in their system, but Spence would immediately become one of, if not the best, of the bunch.

Summary

One of the safer bets in this draft class, Spence brings a blend of size and skill, which allows him to play up and down the lineup and in a variety of different situations. He won’t ever be a leading scorer for a club, but he’ll be productive wherever he’s placed. I would categorize Spence as that third-line energy winger that you see on so many good teams. You can play him on both special teams. He’s also a high-character guy and has been a leader on multiple teams already.

Risk: 2/5

Reward: 3.5/5

Projection: Middle-six power forward

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:

Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau