Malcolm Spence has an uphill climb to represent Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship. But the New York Rangers top pick in this year's NHL Draft made quite a positive impression at the World Junior Summer Showcase last week.
The 18-year-old forward certainly has a fan in Mike Morreale, the draft and prospects expert at NHL.com. Morreale believes Spence made a very strong case to be on the final 25-man roster for Canada come December.
"I think Spence has a real good shot to make this team," Morreale told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast. "Twenty-five of the invites were first-round picks by Team Canada at the Summer Showcase. There's a lot of talent here. But I think Spence has that advantage of being that versatile player that can play all types of roles and that's going to be to his benefit."
Morreale makes a good and valid point. Spence can play up and down the lineup, is engaged and physical, and prides himself on being a complete 200-foot player. He also has experience on the penalty kill and power play.
So, there's more to him than the 32 goals and 73 points he totaled in 65 games with Erie of the OHL last season. Though that's not a bad place to start, of course.
"He's someone you can assign him a job and he'll get it done," Morreale stated.
"If you are versatile and can play different roles on the team, if you can scale a lineup, if you can play both power play and PK and the coach can throw you out there the last minute-and-a-half, last minute of a game … that's a huge benefit to a player. Spence is that type of guy. So, there is no doubt that Canada's managerial team is looking into that kind of ability that Spence has."
Spence stood out in Canada's intrasquad game to begin the showcase, largely due to his high compete level. That continued with a roughing minor against Finland in his next game. He picked up an assist against Sweden and finished the showcase with a goal in Canada's 6-2 win against the United States on Saturday.
Related: What Rangers want to see from EJ Emery, Malcolm Spence at 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase
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The Rangers landed Spence in the second round, No. 43 overall, of the draft. He's big (6-foot-1, 190 pounds), strong, skilled, and is a leader. He was an alternate captain as part of Erie's leadership group last season, when Rangers center prospect Carey Terrance was captain.
"I love this pick by the Rangers, to get Spence in the second round. I had Spence going in the first round in that 20-32 range. So, for the Rangers to get him in the second round of the '25 draft I thought was outstanding," Morreale said. "Love the pick of Spence here. He's going to be a solid pro in the near future."
Morreale believes that Spence could be a top-six forward for Canada at the WJC, though projections cast the youngster in a bottom-six role due to all of the talent on the roster. In the NHL, Morreale sees Spence as second- or third-line player, the type winning teams covet.
"He plays that pro-style game. He attacks North-South, works the wall. Offense is driven by quick touches and off-puck anticipation," Morreale explained. "He's not an overly physical player, but he competes in all three zones to earn those touches with the puck and earn that time and space."
Morreale said that many scouts told him ahead of the draft that Spence reminded them of Gabriel Landeskog , the Colorado Avalanche captain, 2022 Stanley Cup winner, and nine-time 20+-goal scorer. Not as skilled, but similar player.
"They see a similar skill set to that of Gabriel Landeskog and how Landeskog drives the play and how Landeskog has no fear when he gets in front of the net and doing the dirty work to help his team score some goals."
That's a pretty impressive comparison.
But Spence has more directly ahead of him than thinking about being the next Gabe Landeskog. He's looking to add muscle to his frame and improve his all-around game as a freshman at the University of Michigan this season. A good start this fall could be the final touch by Spence to convince coach Dale Hunter and Co. to put him on Canada's roster for the 2026 WJC in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
"He's definitely got a good chance."
You can listen here to the complete interview with Mike Morreale or view it on YouTube
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