Though Malcolm Spence won't be in the lineup for Canada when they play their first game at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase on Wednesday, the New York Rangers top pick from this year's NHL Draft has already made a solid first impression.
Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff listed Spence as a top standout from Canada's intrasquad game Tuesday. Spence played left wing on the second line for Canada White, which defeated Canada Red 4-3 in a shootout.
Though he didn't score, "Spence was one of the more energetic forwards for Canada White. I loved how hard he chased after Red's top players and didn't seem to care that it was an intrasquad game," Ellis noted .
That tenacity, focus and willingness to play a 200-foot game are among the reasons that the Rangers selected Spence in the second round (No. 43 overall) of the 2025 draft. It didn't hurt that the 18-year-old forward, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs a solid 203 pounds, scored 32 goals and had 73 points in 65 games with Erie of the OHL last season, either.
But it's the intangibles that impressed Ellis most in the scrimmage Tuesday.
"Spence has never been the most skilled or offensive player, but he never takes a shift off and is always trying to make things happen," Ellis remarked.
Reading that comment, it's no wonder why the Rangers jumped at the chance to select Spence, after he somehow slipped through the first round. The Rangers clearly lacked enough players with that intensity last season. Though Spence is nowhere near NHL ready and will be a freshman at the University of Michigan this coming season, he fits what the Rangers are looking to add as a person, leader and player.
Related: What Rangers want to see from EJ Emery, Malcolm Spence at 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase
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Despite that build up, Spence is a healthy scratch for Canada's game against Finland on Wednesday. Canada has 36 players on its showcase roster, including 20 forwards, so there'll be plenty of mixing and matching, and players coming in and out of the lineup, this week.
There are also eight forwards — each a first-round draft pick — who were invited to the showcase by Hockey Canada but couldn't or didn't attend. Among those are 2024 draft standouts Tij Iginla and and Beckett Sennecke, and 2025 first-rounders Caleb Desnoyers and Roger McQueen.
Related: Top 10 New York Rangers prospects after 2025 NHL Draft, including Malcolm Spence
So, what are the chances that Spence lands a spot on Canada's roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship, which will be played in Minneapolis/St. Paul beginning in late December?
"Spence could make it as a fourth-liner, unless the team elects to take more skilled players instead," Ellis said. "But Spence feels like a player built for this team."
That's music to the Rangers ears. Even playing a fourth-line role in such a prestigious international tournament would be a tremendous experience for such an important prospect like Spence.
First, let's see if he can build on that solid first impression when he sees some game action later this week at the showcase.
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