Latest news with #MalcolmSpence
Yahoo
a day ago
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New York Rangers Daily: Reason for optimism after NHL Draft; Mitch Marner sign & trade discussed
Let's be honest. No matter how positive or pessimistic you are in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 NHL Draft, we really won't be able to properly assess if the New York Rangers did a good job or not with their eight selections until several years down the road. So, we're not posting a winners and losers list from the 2025 draft here at Forever Blueshirts any time soon. Advertisement But it's hard not to be excited about the Rangers landing Malcolm Spence with their first pick of the draft, No. 43 overall. The 18-year-old forward is big (6-foot-1, 203 pounds), strong and fast, and scored 32 in 65 games with Erie of the OHL last season. He's also a committed two-way player, who plays a 200-foot game and can be trusted defensively. Toss in his well-earned reputation as a natural leader and high-character person, on and off the ice, and you can see why so many hockey experts labeled Spence as the steal of the draft. Yes, there are inconsistencies in his game. Yes, he had an infection that caused him to lose a lot of weight last season because he couldn't eat solid food for an extended stretch. It's not all perfect. Yes, even Spence admitted Saturday he needs to mature more physically before he's ready for the NHL. But, for sure, there's plenty there to feel really good about Malcolm Spence. And the simple fact that the Rangers made eight picks in the draft — after totaling nine the previous two years combined — is reason for some optimism. The odds have to be better that you hit on some of these players the more picks you have, right? Advertisement John Lilley, who heads up the Rangers draft each year, said they saw something in 6-foot-5 defenseman Sean Barnhill, the No. 70 overall pick, who many experts thought was a reach. Some draft gurus were smitten with Norwegian center Mikkel Eriksen, New York's fourth-round pick. Others raved about sixth-round pick Evan Passmore, a 6-foot-4 defenseman from Barrie in the OHL. That's all well and good. But no rushing to judgement here. Let these boys develop into men as players in the coming years before we decide to grade this draft class. Next step: Rangers development camp in Westchester next week. New York Rangers news Here's our complete draft tracker for the Rangers, with analysis on each selection this year. Advertisement The Rangers are being lauded for making a 'great pick' by landing Malcolm Spence in the second round, No. 43 overall. Malcolm Spence and Matthew Schaefer were roommates at Erie and now they are on opposite sides of the intense Rangers-Islanders rivalry. Even Spence admitted that it's a bit 'awkward' now. For his part, Schaefer immediately fueled the rivalry with the Rangers after the Islanders selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Speaking of the Rangers and Islanders, Igor Shesterkin was selected as the top Russian goalie in the NHL by none other than his local counteroart — and bestie — Ilya Sorokin in a recent interview. Advertisement Looking ahead to NHL free agency, which begins Tuesday, here are the best available players on the open market for the Rangers and other teams to consider. NHL news and rumors Sportsnaut: Not all of the top storylines from NHL Draft weekend related directly to the draft. Here's really good breakdown by Mike Morreale of all the top draft-related moments this past weekend. The Athletic ($$): You already know that we don't like quick winners/losers takes after the draft. But, we do respect Scott Wheeler enough to share his winners and losers list. TSN: So, the decentralized draft? 'Early returns certainly weren't positive,' Chris Johnston reported on Insider Trading. That might be an understatement. Advertisement Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings fortified their goaltending position when they acquired John Gibson in a big trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperately trying to work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights for UFA Mitch Marner. NYI Hockey Now: After a very busy weekend, the Islanders reportedly are close to signing defenseman Alexander Romanov to a long-term contract extension. TSN: The Calgary Flames signed pending RFA defenseman Kevin Bahl to a six-year, $32.1 million contract. Florida Hockey Now: Panthers general manager Bill Zito is still confident he can re-sign pending UFAs Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad before July 1 free agency, but admits he has a 'Plan B and Plan C' if unable. Advertisement Daily Faceoff: The St. Louis Blues quietly took care of an important piece of business Saturday by re-signing backup goalie Joel Hofer to a two-year, $6.8 million contract. Sportsnet: Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman admitted he's got a lot on his plate at the moment, but did say he plans to work on a contract extension for coach Kris Knoblauch 'in time.' Sportsnet: Right when the Rangers were selecting forward Malcolm Spence in the second round of the NHL Draft, the Ottawa Senators were announcing that they acquired defenseman Jordan Spence (no relation) in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. Seattle Times: General manager Jason Botterill said that the Kraken will not be buying out the remainder of Philipp Grubauer's contract, despite the goalie's poor tenure in Seattle, to date. Advertisement Related Headlines
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a day ago
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Intriguing prospects to watch at Rangers development camp, including Malcolm Spence
Though the New York Rangers are focused this week on possible trades and the start of NHL free agency Tuesday with an eye toward the 2025-26 season, they'll also have a chance to get a glimpse into the future when their annual development camp for prospects takes place at the MSG Training Center. Thirty-two prospects will take part in tis year's development camp, including seven of the eight players selected by the Rangers in the NHL Draft this past weekend. The only member of the Rangers 2025 Draft Class not attending is defenseman Artyom Gonchar, a third-round pick (No. 89 overall) who is in Russia. There are 20 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goalies in camp, most drafted, acquired in trades, or signed as free agents by the Rangers. Eight of the attendees are not part of the organization, but invited to take part by the Rangers. Advertisement Monday is an orientation day of sorts for the players, and there will be on-ice sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. Let's check out who are some of the more intriguing prospects to watch at Rangers development camp this week. Related: Reason for Rangers optimism after NHL Draft, but let's not rush to judgement Malcolm Spence The 18-year-old forward was New York's top pick in the 2025 draft, scooped up in the second round, No. 43 overall. Hockey experts believe the Rangers got a steal here, a first-round talent that dropped into their lap later on. The University of Michigan commit made a positive impression as a thoughtful, intelligent kid in his initial post-draft interviews. Now let's see how Spence looks on the ice, especially next to older, more seasoned prospects. It'll be curious to see if his leadership skills — one of his best traits — emerge, and in what fashion, this week. Gabe Perreault Perreault is the Rangers top prospect, one who will compete for a spot on their opening-night roster in training camp this fall. The 20-year-old forward, who had 108 points (35 goals, 73 assists) in 73 games over two years at Boston College, played five games with the Rangers after his NCAA season ended this past spring, and showed flashes of his elite skill set and high Hockey IQ, though he didn't land on the score sheet. With a new coaching staff in place, Perreault wants to separate himself from everyone at this development camp, so that he enters training camp having already delivered a positive first impression. EJ Emery Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images New York's first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (No. 30 overall) is preparing for his sophomore season at the University of North Dakota. Emery's freshman year was a mixed bag. The stay-at-home defenseman averaged nearly 20 minutes TOI per game and finished sixth on the Fighting Hawks with 29 blocked shots and tied for seventh with a plus-3 rating. However, he recorded one point (assist in season opener) in 31 games, the lowest point total by any first-round NHL draft pick in NCAA history. At the time of his selection, the Rangers said there'd be no rushing Emery's development. But this week will provide a glimpse of how far he's come and still needs to go. Carey Terrance Spence's linemate with Erie of the OHL makes his debut at Rangers dev camp, after they acquired the 20-year-old center in the Chris Kreider trade with the Anaheim Ducks. Like his buddy Spence, Terrance is a leader — he was Erie's captain — and a high-character person and player. He scored 29 goals two seasons ago and had 20 goals and 39 points this past season when he focused on improving his two-way game. Terrance, who was on the gold medal-winning United States team at the 2025 World Junior Championship with Rangers prospects Perreault and Drew Fortescue, has a chance at this camp to size himself up against Noah Laba and Dylan Roobroeck, as they jockey for position on the organizational depth chart at the center position. Callum Tung Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack Advertisement The Rangers signed Tung this past spring as an undrafted free agent after he played one season at UCONN (10-4-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 15 games). Tung is the most intriguing of the three goalies at dev camp and is expected to battle Dylan Garand, who's an RFA entering his fourth pro season, for playing time with Hartford of the American Hockey League. There are many who saw Tung play collegiately who believe the 21-year-old is a legit prospect. He appeared in two games with Hartford after his NCAA season ended, and this is an excellent chance for him to make a solid first impression on the new coaching staff. Drew Fortescue As the Rangers search for a long-term answer in their top four on the left side of the defense corps, the future likely is in front of them this week with Fortescue. The 20-year-old is a mature, shut-down, left-shot d-man, who played a major role helping the U.S. win consecutive World Junior Championships in 2024 and 2025. He's going to back to Boston College for his junior year and likely will turn pro next spring. This dev camp will help give the Rangers a better idea of where Fortescue is at physically, and how close he is to being NHL ready. T.J. Hughes Hughes is here on an invite after the 23-year-old forward led the University of Michigan with 15 goals and 38 points last season. He's planning on heading back to Ann Arbor for his senior year, where he'd be Spence's teammate, but this camp is a big deal for him. Many thought he'd sign with an NHL team as an undrafted free agent this past spring, but didn't. At his age, time isn't exactly on his side to land a pro contract. But, he's got skill (19 goal, 48 points in 2023-24) and the Rangers clearly think enough of Hughes to give him this opportunity. Will Beanie Richter You caught that last name, right? Yup, Richter. As in Mike Richter's son. The Yale forward is getting a look as an invitee to development camp. It's the least the Rangers could do for their 1994 Stanley Cup winning goalie. Now it's up to his son to make the most of this opportunity. Richter scored five goal and finished with 11 points, playing all 31 games for Yale last season. He's set to return for his junior year in the Ivy League this fall. Advertisement Related Headlines
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2 days ago
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Hot Takes From The 2025 NHL Draft
Image Here are seven Hot Takes From The 2025 NHL Draft: 1. The Islanders were the overall winners for these reasons: A. They got the best player available; B. Matthew Schaefer could make the Isles varsity; C. GM Mathieu Darche was not suckered into sentimentality to take the Long Island prospect. Advertisement 2. The Sharks added to their extremely young core with forward Michael Misa. In a handful of years, San Jose will become a team to reckon with. 3. The Rangers' choice of left winger, Malcolm Spence could have been a first-rounder. He'll prove to be a pleasant sleeper. 4. Mason West, the Blackhawks 29th overall selection, is the most interesting pick of the draft. The 6'6', 218 pound forward, is also a Division I recruited quarterback and committed to play hockey at Michigan State. 5. Nashville's fifth overall selection, Brady Martin surprised me. Nashville left a lot of talent on the board. That makes me wonder, did they fall in love with the person or the player? An Intensive Opinion On Rangers Drafting 2025 An Intensive Opinion On Rangers Drafting 2025 Except for the first four or five "Automatic" Draft choices, opinions differ when the 2025 edition is examined. Advertisement 6. The Canadiens took a chance on LJ Mooney, cousin of Utah's Logan Cooley, and he won't disappoint. Montreal has a thing for developing smaller players, and Mooney is next. 7. Ethan Wyttenbach is an overlooked pick from the draft. The inaugural winner of The USHL's Gaudreau Award, got drafted by the Flames. The same team that drafted Johnny, 14 years ago.
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2 days ago
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Rangers Believe Drafting Malcolm Spence Was A Steal
GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The New York Rangers may have not had a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but the team was able to get first-round talent with the 43rd overall pick. Many NHL analysts predicted Malcolm Spence would be selected in the first round, but he slid all the way to the 43rd pick where the New York Rangers sat and they did not hesitate to draft him. Advertisement 'Malcolm is an excellent winger, power play, PK (penalty kill), plays the game the right way,' Rangers director of player personnel John Lilley said. 'He doesn't cheat the game. We've valued him for a few years now… 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, and we think he's got a lot of potential and a high character player.' The 18-year-old has made a name for himself playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League over the past two seasons. This past season, Spence served as the team's assistant captain and had an impressive statistical season, recording 32 goals, 41 assists, and 73 points in 65 games. Despite the high speculation that Spence would be drafted in the first round, teams passed up on him for whatever reason. Advertisement However, his fall out of the draft's opening round did not discourage him and he's excited to prove the Rangers right instead of proving other teams wrong. 'I think kind of when you have expectations for yourself, and obviously there's expectations from the media and whatnot of where I was going to get picked, but for me, obviously I believe in myself, and just really I didn't get picked yesterday, I kind of changed my mindset right after and said, 'well, tomorrow's a new day, and you're in a situation that not a lot of people are in.' So for me, it was New York's first pick, and I have some family out there, and it worked out really well,' said Spence. 'I'm really excited that they took a chance on me and believed in me when a lot of the other people didn't. So I'm really excited to get to New York City and get to work.' The next stop for Spence will be at the University of Michigan where he'll play at one of the best collegiate hockey programs in the country. Rangers Select Forward Malcolm Spence In Second Round With 43rd Pick Rangers Select Forward Malcolm Spence In Second Round With 43rd Pick The New York Advertisement Rangers have selected left winger Malcolm Spence with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft. While Spence has a lot of natural skill sets, he knows that there's still a long way to go before he gets to an NHL level both in terms of his body development and transformation as a player. He strongly believes he'll be able to accomplish all of his development goals at Michigan in order to be properly prepared for the NHL and the challenges that come with being a professional hockey player. 'I know to play in the NHL, you have to be physically ready,' Spence said. 'Maybe there are parts of my game skill-wise that may be ready, but physically I'm not. I know going to Michigan is going to give me more runway time. For me to jump in as an impact player, that's what I want to do.' Spence is likely a couple of years away before he could possibly crack the Rangers' roster, but the potential is certainly there and he has a chance to make a major impact in the future.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Breaking down Rangers' Day 2 picks in 2025 NHL Draft
Access the Rangers beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers. tRY IT NOW An inside look at the Rangers' draft picks on Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday: Malcolm Spence Drafted: Second round (43rd overall) Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 201 pounds Position: Left wing | Shoots: Left Born: Sept. 22, 2006 | Country: Canada Advertisement Committed to play at Michigan next season, Spence is said to be capable of taking over games. While representing Canada at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the 18-year-old scored the game-winning goal in overtime with seven seconds remaining to win gold for his country. Artyom Gonchar Drafted: Third round (89th overall) Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 143 pounds Position: Defenseman | Shoots: Left Born: Oct. 25, 2006 | Country: Russia Coming out of the MHL in Russia, Gonchar — the nephew of longtime NHLer Sergei Gonchar — is a confident passer who can put the puck where he wants. He put up seven goals and 18 assists in 50 games last season for the Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk. Advertisement Malcolm Spence poses for a portrait after being drafted by the Rangers with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft on June 28, 2025. Getty Images Sean Barnhill Drafted: Third round (70th overall) Height: 6-foot-5 | Weight: 214 pounds Position: Defenseman | Shoots: Right Born: Jan. 8, 2007 | Country: USA Committed to Northeastern University for the 2026-27 season, Barnhill has a solid defensive foundation to go along with his big frame. The 18-year-old posted four goals and eight assists in 54 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL last season. Mikkel Eriksen Advertisement Drafted: Fourth round (111th overall) Height: 5-foot-11| Weight: 185 pounds Position: Center | Shoots: Left Born: Sept. 13, 2007 | Country: Norway Equipped with a knack for slowing the game down, Eriksen has been playing in the Swedish Junior League with Färjestad BK. His ability to adjust on the fly is also considered a top skill. Zeb Lindgren Drafted: Fifth round (139th overall) Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 198 pounds Position: Defenseman | Shoots: Left Born: April 14, 2007 | Country: Sweden Known for his skating ability, Lindgren is seen as a mobile and a powerful defenseman. He is more of a passer than an individual puck mover, but projects to be more of a depth player on the blue line. Advertisement Zeb Lindgren NHLI via Getty Images Samuel Jung Drafted: Sixth round (166th overall) Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 172 pounds Position: Right wing | Shoots: Left Born: May 18, 2006 | Country: Czechia Spending the last three seasons in the Finnish league, Jung posted a career high last season with 32 points (22 goals, 10 assists) in 44 games. Evan Passmore Drafted: Sixth round (171st overall) Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 209 pounds Position: Defenseman | Shoots: Right Born: Dec. 6, 2006 | Country: Canada Coming in with strong stick work that can disrupt plays in front of him, Passmore spent the past two seasons with the Barrie Colts in the OHL. He posted 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 62 games last year. Felix Färhammar Drafted: Seventh round (203rd overall) Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 185 pounds Position: Defenseman | Shoots: Left Born: April 11, 2007 Country: Sweden Coming out of Sweden, Färhammar is described as an active two-way defenseman. He had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in nine games last season with Örebro HK J18. — with help from Elite Prospects
