The New York Rangers couldn't have asked for a better situation for one of their top prospects than the one Malcolm Spence finds himself in with the Michigan Wolverines this season.
Playing important minutes as a freshman for one of the true powers in college hockey, Spence helped Michigan land the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA men's hockey tournament. The 19-year-old forward enters his first NCAA tourney with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 37 games, and is tied for seventh on the Wolverines in scoring.
Spence had a goal and assist Saturday, when Michigan (29-7-1) defeated Ohio State 7-3 to win the Big Ten championship . His goal tied the score 3-3 with under a minute to play in the second period, and was a part of a five-goal run that vaulted Michigan to the title.
The 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past four games, coming to the wire in his first collegiate season, after starring previously with Erie in the OHL.
Spence was New York's top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, selected in the second round (No. 43 overall). Many experts considered Spence to be a steal in the second round, given his first-round talent, and he burst on to the scene at Michigan with three points (one goal, two assists) in his NCAA debut against Mercyhurst on Oct. 3.
The Hamilton, Ontario, native had seven points (three goals, four assists) in his first six games before colling off a bit when the competition heated up. But he more than held his own as a lineup regular on the top team in the nation, and has six multi-point games, including two in his past four contests.
Michigan opens up the East Regional against Bentley on Friday in Albany. If they win, they'd face the winner of the Penn State-Minnesota Duluth contest. The winner of East Regional advances to the Frozen Four taking place in Las Vegas on April 9-11. Michigan last won the NCAA men's hockey championship in 1998.
Credit: Alan Selavka
E.J. Emery — photo courtesy Alan Selavka
Spence isn't the only Rangers prospect taking part in this year's NCAA tournament. And he's not the only one playing for a top-seeded team in the regionals, either.
North Dakota is the No. 2 overall seed in the tourney, and the top seed in their regional. New York's 2024 first-round pick E.J. Emery is a staple on the blue line for North Dakota, which lost in the WCHC semifinals to Minnesota-Duluth. However, North Dakota opens their regional as the top seed against Merrimack on Thursday.
Emery, a shutdown right-shot defenseman, carries a career-high three-game point streak (three assists) into the tournament. After recording one assist as a freshman in 2024-25, Emery has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 35 games this season, including seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past eight games.
He recorded a two-goal game against Minnesota back on Oct. 17 for his first two collegiate goals.
The No. 3 overall seed in this year's tournament is Michigan State, which features hulking Rangers defenseman prospect Sean Barnhill. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder blocked 18 shots as a freshman this season, recorded four assists, and totaled 14 penalty minutes in 35 games.
Barnhill, a third-round pick (No. 70 overall) in the 2025 draft, and Michigan State face off against UConn on Thursday.
The defending national-champion Western Michigan Broncos are the No. 4 overall seed and open up Friday against Minnesota State. Rangers forward prospect Ty Henricks scored the game-winning goal against Boston University last spring to secure Western Michigan's first-ever NCAA title. The sophomore is tied for sixth in scoring on the Broncos with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 37 games.
The 6-foot-5 forward, a sixth-round pick (No. 183 overall) in 2023, is second on his team with 43 penalty minutes and tied for second with three power-play goals. However, he's scored just one goal in his past 15 games.
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