2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Malcolm Spence

Upside Hockey's NHL Draft profile series: Aces Edition, Vol. 10

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 10):

LW Malcolm Spence (6'2", 201 lbs)

Erie: 65gp/ 32g/ 41a/ 73pts, +10, 57 PIM

Malcolm Spence (ranked # 17 NA Skaters, # 16 by McKenzie, # 15 by Button) has been highly touted (and highly scouted) for many years, having been drafted 2nd-overall (behind Mike Misa) in the 2022 OHL Draft, with this season being his third-full campaign in the OHL.

Photo: OHL Images

This year, the Erie Otters were a respectable 10th-overall in the OHL, but they unfortunately drew the mighty London Knights as their second-round playoff opponents, and they were sadly bounced from the post-season in a sweep, with Spence (who wears an "A") placing 5th on the Otters in playoff scoring, producing 9 points in 9 games. After a 2023-24 regular season that saw Spence post 19 goals and 62 points in 66 games, he took part in the U-18 Championship with Team Canada (3 goals and 7 points in 7 games), at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he produced 2 goals and 5 points in 5 games, and scored the "golden goal" to secure his nation's victory. Spence, along with the aforementioned Mike Misa, also tied for the lead on Team CHL in the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge in November, with 3 points in the two-game series against American draft-eligibles; he's known to be a big-game player, and shows up in important moments.

Spence has played the majority of his time with the Otters under defense-first Head Coach Stan Butler, which may have molded his habits and defensive conscience; Butler was hired in January of 2023, but was fired in January of 2025 for reasons unknown, after the team conducted "an internal review of team policy". Under new coach Kris Mallette, Spence put up 21 points in the final 17 games of the regular season, which represents a small uptick in production for him.

Spence plays a very mature, pro-style game that will be highly-translatable, with a simple and direct approach. He's very well-rounded, and can perform any task on the ice with confidence and poise- never wasting any energy with his efficiency, and always employing a risk-averse game. He's a power-forward, wielding a high amount of physicality, with no fear in throwing hits or diving into puck-battles in the hard-areas, and he owns a wealth of intangibles, with character and leadership being chief among them. He provides a positive example for his teammates by working extremely hard, and displays sky-high motor and determination.

With sublime hockey IQ, he is offensively aware and brings a modicum of playmaking vision, but he isn't very creative and isn't much of a play-driver, which constantly brings his NHL-ceiling into question. He does however, exhibit solid passing-skill and can thread the needle through small spaces in traffic, and displays plus-level puck-skill in his handling, catching, and distribution at high-speed. His puck-protection is also well-developed, and allows him to get around in tight areas, and beat opponents wide when cutting to the net.

Most of Spence's contributions to offense come from his inside-driven game, his propensity to drive the net, and his shot- which is hard and heavy, and laced with deception to freeze goalies. He's a shooting threat from below the hash-marks, uses screens extremely well, and doesn't require a lot of room to get good zip on his snap-shot. He dips in-and-out of the low-slot as a moving screen, and times his appearance at the net-front to be there when the puck arrives for second-chance opportunities, and he owns sharp hand-eye coordination for tips, with soft hands to beat goalies in-close. He plays well around the net and down-low, and his efforts help to funnel pucks to the net, which creates a number of chances for his teammates.

Spence skates very well, but is far from a burner, and stays active at all times- keeping his feet pumping hard. His base is quite wide, giving him good balance and stability, but he's not always extending as fully as he could, so his mechanics could use a small tweak in order to produce maximum power. He navigates small areas well on his edges with smooth pivots, quick stops, brisk changes of direction, and sharp turns. He is strong on his skates, and difficult to knock off-balance.

He provides value in transition, and isn't shy about chipping-and-chasing for entries, or dumping the puck in when needed, but can also rush the puck through the neutral zone, and across both blue lines at times. Spence is a disruption machine over every inch of the 200-ft ice surface, from his dogged efforts in attacking puck-carriers on the forecheck, to his tenacity in hounding opponents on breakouts, to his causing havoc in the neutral zone, to his denying entries by cutting off the blueline.

He's a highly impactful defensive forward, and not only shuts down plays in the defensive zone, but also makes smart plays off of recovered pucks to get his team's breakout moving up-ice. He exhibits advanced details and awareness in checking situations, kills penalties with aplomb, and has the foresight to react proactively with stick-lifts, picks, spotless positioning, and a well-timed stick.

Spence is a safe pick with his pro-style game, and has few real weaknesses, but his ceiling is not as high as other potential first-round picks; he projects as a solid middle-six winger, with a staunch two-way style, and a strong physical presence. Look for him in the top-20 of this summer's draft- his age and advanced physical development in Junior hockey might make scouts and GM's pause on draft day.

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See where Spence landed in our most recent mock draft: