The Calgary Flames are loaded with wing prospects. What’s the harm in one more?
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In last year’s draft, the Flames selected Matvei Gridin, Andrew Basha, Jacob Battaglia, Trevor Hoskin, and Luke Misa. That added to an already deep wing cupboard of Samuel Honzek, Aydar Suniev, William Strömgren, Rory Kerins, and many others.
There’s a chance that the best available prospect will be Malcolm Spence when they select 18th overall. Let’s get to know the 18-year-old left winger.
<h2>Scouting report</h2>
Spence just missed the September 15 cutoff date for the 2024 draft, as he was born just a week late in Mississauga, Ontario. The winger stands at 6’1”, 203 lbs, and has spent the past three seasons with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-final-top-120-steven-ellis-schaefer-misa-obrien-martin-frondell-desnoyers-hagens-martone">Daily Faceoff’s</a> Steven Ellis ranked Spence as his 22nd-best draft-eligible prospect, having this to say about the 18-year-old.
<blockquote>“I feel confident that Spence will be a good NHLer. Maybe not a top-six player, but someone whom you can assign a job to do and he’ll get it done. The Mississauga native isn’t flashy, but he’s a hard worker who loves hitting everyone he can and getting anyone off their game. Spence isn’t a high-end producer in the OHL, but he has been a point-per-gamer for most of the past two seasons. He’s very versatile, although not necessarily a top-six play-driver. I think he will be one heck of a middle-six player, at the very least. I was disappointed about his play against London in the second round of the playoffs, though – but that’s also partly an Erie Otters problem.”</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-80-prospects-for-the-2025-nhl-draft/">Sportsnet’s</a> Jason Bukala ranked him similarly as the 21st best prospect available in the draft, noting this about the forward.
<blockquote>“Spence brings a combination of size, strength and speed. His best shifts give opponents all they can handle. He produced 32G-41A in the regular season for the Otters and, in my opinion, could have scored even more. There are nights Spence left me wanting him to play with more detail and overall consistent effort. Once he figures it out and matures, he could be even more impactful.”</blockquote>
Lastly, Spence’s last observation from <a href="https://dobberprospects.com/player/malcolm-spence/">Dobber Prospects</a> in January from Whittaker Heart said this about the Mississauga native.
<blockquote>“Spence brings a very pro-style game to the 2025 draft with his size, tenacity, and work rate. The 6’2” winger from the OHL has a solid cycle-possession game down low and can be a pain for other teams to play against. He owns a winning pedigree, having played instrumental parts in both Hlinka gold and WJC-u18 gold. Concerns of offensive upside have stagnated his climb up the rankings, so for now he slots somewhere in the mid first-round. Spence appears to be a safe bet to someday crack an NHL lineup and play a role in varying capacities.”</blockquote>
I was able to watch Spence during the Ontario Hockey League’s first round against the Saginaw Spirit. He was one of the more impactful players on the ice, throwing his weight around and being productive, scoring three goals and seven points in the first four games. More on that in the next section.
<h2>The numbers</h2>
Due to being born past the draft cutoff, Spence has played three seasons with the Erie Otters. In his debut year, he scored 16 goals and 42 points as a 16-year-old. He followed that up by scoring 19 goals and 62 points in 66 games in 2023-24.
He broke out for the Otters in 2024-25, scoring a career-high 32 goals and 73 points in 65 games, with four goals and nine points in nine post-season games. After his first four games against the Spirit, Spence went cold for four games where he was held pointless, before picking up a goal and an assist in the game the Otters were eliminated.
That will be Spence’s last game in an Otters uniform, as he committed to the University of Michigan. He’ll join Flame prospect Henry Mews, as well as a handful of other 2025 draftees: Jack Ivankovic, Cole McKinney, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/son-of-an-oilers-great-william-horcoff-could-be-a-fit-for-the-flames-at-the-2025-nhl-draft">Will Horcoff</a>, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/american-centre-cole-mckinney-could-be-big-value-late-in-2025-drafts-first-round">Cole McKinney</a>, and Drew Schock. Also on the 2025-26 Wolverines roster is Michael Hage, who was selected 21st overall in 2024 by the Montréal Canadiens.
<h2>Availability and fit</h2>
While Spence may be selected before the Flames select 18th overall, there’s a good chance he’ll be available when they use their first pick of the draft.
Fit is more of a question here, as the Flames have a ton of wingers in the system, as well as young players on the main roster &#8211; namely Connor Zary and Matt Coronato. Their biggest need at the moment is a game-changing centre, but it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll get one unless they move into the top 10.
That said, when picking in the first round, selecting the best player available is always the way to go, even if that player doesn’t necessarily fit the needs of the team. If Spence falls to the Flames, there’s a chance he’ll be the best player available.
<hr />
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">FlamesNation</a>, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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The Calgary Flames are loaded with wing prospects. What’s the harm in one more?
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In last year’s draft, the Flames selected Matvei Gridin, Andrew Basha, Jacob Battaglia, Trevor Hoskin, and Luke Misa. That added to an already deep wing cupboard of Samuel Honzek, Aydar Suniev, William Strömgren, Rory Kerins, and many others.

There’s a chance that the best available prospect will be Malcolm Spence when they select 18th overall. Let’s get to know the 18-year-old left winger.
<h2>Scouting report</h2>
Spence just missed the September 15 cutoff date for the 2024 draft, as he was born just a week late in Mississauga, Ontario. The winger stands at 6’1”, 203 lbs, and has spent the past three seasons with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.

<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-final-top-120-steven-ellis-schaefer-misa-obrien-martin-frondell-desnoyers-hagens-martone">Daily Faceoff’s</a> Steven Ellis ranked Spence as his 22nd-best draft-eligible prospect, having this to say about the 18-year-old.
<blockquote>“I feel confident that Spence will be a good NHLer. Maybe not a top-six player, but someone whom you can assign a job to do and he’ll get it done. The Mississauga native isn’t flashy, but he’s a hard worker who loves hitting everyone he can and getting anyone off their game. Spence isn’t a high-end producer in the OHL, but he has been a point-per-gamer for most of the past two seasons. He’s very versatile, although not necessarily a top-six play-driver. I think he will be one heck of a middle-six player, at the very least. I was disappointed about his play against London in the second round of the playoffs, though – but that’s also partly an Erie Otters problem.”</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-80-prospects-for-the-2025-nhl-draft/">Sportsnet’s</a> Jason Bukala ranked him similarly as the 21st best prospect available in the draft, noting this about the forward.
<blockquote>“Spence brings a combination of size, strength and speed. His best shifts give opponents all they can handle. He produced 32G-41A in the regular season for the Otters and, in my opinion, could have scored even more. There are nights Spence left me wanting him to play with more detail and overall consistent effort. Once he figures it out and matures, he could be even more impactful.”</blockquote>
Lastly, Spence’s last observation from <a href="https://dobberprospects.com/player/malcolm-spence/">Dobber Prospects</a> in January from Whittaker Heart said this about the Mississauga native.
<blockquote>“Spence brings a very pro-style game to the 2025 draft with his size, tenacity, and work rate. The 6’2” winger from the OHL has a solid cycle-possession game down low and can be a pain for other teams to play against. He owns a winning pedigree, having played instrumental parts in both Hlinka gold and WJC-u18 gold. Concerns of offensive upside have stagnated his climb up the rankings, so for now he slots somewhere in the mid first-round. Spence appears to be a safe bet to someday crack an NHL lineup and play a role in varying capacities.”</blockquote>
I was able to watch Spence during the Ontario Hockey League’s first round against the Saginaw Spirit. He was one of the more impactful players on the ice, throwing his weight around and being productive, scoring three goals and seven points in the first four games. More on that in the next section.
<h2>The numbers</h2>
Due to being born past the draft cutoff, Spence has played three seasons with the Erie Otters. In his debut year, he scored 16 goals and 42 points as a 16-year-old. He followed that up by scoring 19 goals and 62 points in 66 games in 2023-24.

He broke out for the Otters in 2024-25, scoring a career-high 32 goals and 73 points in 65 games, with four goals and nine points in nine post-season games. After his first four games against the Spirit, Spence went cold for four games where he was held pointless, before picking up a goal and an assist in the game the Otters were eliminated.

That will be Spence’s last game in an Otters uniform, as he committed to the University of Michigan. He’ll join Flame prospect Henry Mews, as well as a handful of other 2025 draftees: Jack Ivankovic, Cole McKinney, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/son-of-an-oilers-great-william-horcoff-could-be-a-fit-for-the-flames-at-the-2025-nhl-draft">Will Horcoff</a>, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/american-centre-cole-mckinney-could-be-big-value-late-in-2025-drafts-first-round">Cole McKinney</a>, and Drew Schock. Also on the 2025-26 Wolverines roster is Michael Hage, who was selected 21st overall in 2024 by the Montréal Canadiens.
<h2>Availability and fit</h2>
While Spence may be selected before the Flames select 18th overall, there’s a good chance he’ll be available when they use their first pick of the draft.

Fit is more of a question here, as the Flames have a ton of wingers in the system, as well as young players on the main roster - namely Connor Zary and Matt Coronato. Their biggest need at the moment is a game-changing centre, but it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll get one unless they move into the top 10.

That said, when picking in the first round, selecting the best player available is always the way to go, even if that player doesn’t necessarily fit the needs of the team. If Spence falls to the Flames, there’s a chance he’ll be the best player available.

<hr />

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">FlamesNation</a>, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Malcolm Spence may be available when the Flames draft 18th overall

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