Malcolm Spence Needs More Attention After CHL/USA Prospects Challenge – The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

Erie Otters forward Malcolm Spence turned heads at the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge with a great two-game performance. The former second-overall pick from 2022 has been on the radar of fans and draft analysts, but he always seems to get overshadowed by other draft-eligible players like Porter Martone, James Hagens, or even Caleb Desnoyers. Although Spence may not have the same raw talent as those players, he has more heart and determination than any of those players and has won championships on some of the biggest stages in his young career. Those aspects should not go unnoticed by scouts and fans when we get closer to draft season.

Spence Is a Winner

In his young career, Spence has won championships on nearly every team he has played for. Before being drafted into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he won the OHL Cup with the Mississauga Senators as one of their top players scoring 13 points in seven games. After his rookie season in Erie, he helped lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in the summer of 2023 where he not only had five points in five games but scored the overtime-winning goal against Czechia to win Canada the gold medal. He was also an instrumental part of Canada’s upset over Team USA at the U-18 World Championship in May 2024 where he had seven points in seven games.

Spence has proven in nearly every level and age group that he has what it takes to win on the big stage, which is something that all teams desperately need. With a resume like that, teams should be lined up in droves to draft him because he clearly plays a brand of hockey that wins games and wins big games. He was also a big contributor to Team CHL in their two-game sweep over the NTDP in the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge.

Though he has yet to have a deep playoff run in Erie, this season, the team has finally found their footing after a couple of down years. The Otters currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 13-7-2-1 with Spence and fellow Team CHL standout Matthew Schaefer leading the way. Spence currently has 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in only 23 games this season and will be striving to produce more offence with his offensive partner in crime Carey Terrance as the two have been dynamite together offensively over the past two seasons.

Spence Plays a Game That Every Team Should Want

Spence is not afraid to mix things up and get physical. He is your prototypical power forward. Not only can he hurt you on the scoresheet, but he also punishes you in between the whistles and in the corners. He is a menace to play against because he never takes a shift off and is always in opposing players’ faces trying to get them off of their game and does it with a smile on his face. Spence’s game is a version of several players in the NHL but the player he reminds me most of is Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Related: Top Performers From the 2024 CHL/ USA Prospects Challenge

Knies really established himself as a thorn in the side of opponents’ last playoffs against the Boston Bruins. His swagger and confidence turned him into an animal against the Bruins and he was able to get under their skin in between whistles and throw Boston off their game while also putting up points. Spence plays a very similar game. At the U-18 World Championship, he was mixing it up with teams after the whistle and was getting under their skin all tournament long. Along with being a pain to deal with after the whistle, he was also a menace during play while he was scoring goals and hyping up his team with every play he made.

A player like Spence is needed on every NHL team. Teams need a guy who can bring the energy up on the bench and hype up their team when they need a pick-me-up. He will continue to do so for whichever NHL team drafts him in the summer.

Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter