Rangers land 1st-round talent Malcolm Spence on Day 2 of 2025 NHL Draft: ‘great pick’
Though the New York Rangers didn’t have a pick in the first-round of the 2025 NHL Draft, many hockey experts believe they landed a first-round talent anyway on Day 2 of the proceedings, when they selected Malcolm Spence No. 43 overall.
That the highly-skilled forward from Erie in the OHL lasted 11 picks into the second round surprised many draft gurus, with Mike Kelly commenting on social media “Surprised Malcolm Spence fell to 43. Great pick by the Rangers.”
Certainly, the Rangers were pleased that Spence was still there when they were on the clock for the first time in this year’s draft Saturday.
“We’ve valued him for a few years now … and we were happy he was there at 43,” Rangers director of player personnel and amateur scouting John Lilley told reporters after the draft concluded. “I think he was projected to go quite a bit higher. So when the opportunity presented itself, we were thrilled to get him in that spot.”
Spence is a big (6-foot-1, 203 pounds), rugged forward, one who’s a complete player at both ends of the ice. He scored 32 goals and finished with 73 points in 65 games last season, and totaled 177 points (67 goals, 110 assists) in 195 games over the past three seasons with Erie.
A 200-foot player who skates extremely well and is respected for his high character on and off the ice, Spence projects to be a trusted middle-six forward one day in the NHL.
“I’m a fast, physical player that plays with a lot of pace and high-end skill,” Spence said when asked for his own personal scouting report. “I’m going to be a guy that plays in all situations. I’m going to be a guy that’s called upon for his teammates whatever they need.”
An alternate captain with Erie, Spence added, “I’ve been a leader my whole life, going to continue to do that.”
Spence lost about 15 pounds last season because of a tongue infection which limited his intake of solid food. That, and inconsistency with his overall game, likely knocked Spence out of the first round, though that hardly seemed to bother him.
“I was New York’s first pick and I have some family out there,” he said. “It worked out really well. I’m really excited that they took a chance on me and believed in me when a lot of the other people didn’t.”
Spence is committed to the University of Michigan next fall when he’ll turn 19. He and the Rangers believe this is the best path for his development, not unlike with their top pick last year, defenseman EJ Emery, who’s playing collegiately at North Dakota.
“There are some parts of my game, maybe skill-wise, that might be ready. But I know physically, I’m not,” Spence explained. “I know going to Michigan is going to give me more runway time. However long it takes for me to jump in and be an impact player, that’s what I want to do. I don’t really have a timeline on it. I’m not going to rush things.”
Spence is also thrilled to join his good friend and former Erie teammate Carey Terrance in the Rangers organization. Terrance, Erie’s captain this past season, was acquired by the Rangers from the Anaheim Ducks in the recent Chris Kreider trade.
“It’s something pretty special,” Spence said. “Carey’s one of my closest friends. He usually spends time at my house during the summer, and will come down and hang out. And beyond hockey, we’re just really, really good friends off the ice. So, for me to be in an organization where I have one of my best friends there, it’s a pretty cool feeling, knowing that I get to be there with Carey on the daily. Just like I did the past three years, it’s pretty remarkable. Really excited to see him.”
Related: New York Rangers 2025 NHL Draft tracker: Selection, analysis for each pick
Malcolm Spence heads Rangers 2025 draft class of 8 players
Despite sending their first-round pick (No. 12 overall) to the Pittsburgh Penguins to complete the J.T. Miller trade, the Rangers had eight picks heading into Day 2 of the draft, and held on to each one. Their eight selections almost equaled their total from the 2023 and 2024 drafts combines (nine selections).
Five of the eight selections were defensemen. That included 6-foot-5 bruiser Sean Barnhill, whom the Rangers grabbed at No. 70 overall in the third round. New York also landed 6-foot-4 defenseman Evan Passmore from Barrie of the OHL in the sixth round (No. 171 overall).
Selecting towering prospects is a growing trend for the Rangers. Adam Edstrom (6-foot-6, 2019 draft), Matt Rempe (6-foot-9, 2020), Dylan Roobroeck (6-foot-7, 2023) and Nathan Aspinall (6-foot-7, 2024) preceded Barnhill and Passmore.
In recent years, the Rangers drafted mostly United States-born prospects, but that changed this weekend. Only one of their picks this year — Barnhill, an Arizona native who played for Dubuque in the USHL — is from the U.S. Spence and Passmore were born in Canada; and the rest are from Europe.
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