With the 43rd selection in 2025, the Rangers chose LW Malcolm Spence.
He’s going to the University of Michigan next season after playing the last three seasons with Erie in the OHL.
He had 32 goals and 41 assists in 65 games last season and 9 points in 9 playoff games.
He was 17th on Central Scoutings Final List. He was ranked 17th by The Hockey News that wrote, “Before going to Erie, Spence was a standout U-16 player who won the OHL Cup while teammates with Michael Misa. In his third season in Erie, Spence popped in more goals, but his point production didn’t take a huge leap from the year prior. “He’s got speed and a great shot,” said one scout. “Probably plagued a bit by inconsistency. You don’t see the same player every night. In some games, he’s very good. In others, he’s a non-factor. Once he gains that level of consistency, he’ll be fine. But right now, he’s been a bit of an underachiever.” The Otters went through a mid-season coaching change and the loss of star defenseman Matthew Schaefer due to injury, so the campaign wasn’t as successful as it could’ve been. Next year, he’ll ply his trade at the University of Michigan. “He’s a really talented kid and a real good athlete,” said another scout. “He’s a good skater. He has good size. He gets to the net and has some skill to make plays but also to shoot it. He’s good on the penalty kill, and he’s a real good kid.”
The Hockey News says that his “Best Case” is Zach Hyman.
On ESPN Plus Jason Bukala said of Spence, “he plays fast, has size, plays with tenacity, creates turnovers on the PK and tucks some goals in. I watched him six times, two of those six times his “A” game wasn’t present and his “B” game fell off for me and that to me is why an NHL franchise says that it’s hard every day and we need you to be better on your “B” game. His best shift is top-six capable but the rest still has to come.”
Sam Cosentino said on ESPN Plus, “At this point in the draft I’d be ecstatic to get a player like that here, but I agree, I watched him a couple of times this year and we need to see a more consistent effort from Spence.”
Corey Pronman ranked him 24th at The Athletic, compared him to Ivan Barbashev and wrote “He’s a tenacious worker who wins a ton of battles and gets to many pucks due to his length, speed and effort. He comes back hard and is a great two-way forward. Spence has good offensive skills and sense and can create chances with pace, but I wouldn’t call him a dynamic or overly creative player with the puck. His finishing touch is at times a minor question, but he gets a lot of greasy area goals. He can be a very likable middle-six winger who coaches will use a lot.”
At 70, the Rangers chose Sean Barnhill, a 6-6 and 214 defenseman.
Jason Bukala said, “His fitness was off the charts at the combine and you always like to see that, his prep is there. Right shot guy. I don’t need this kid to score, I need him to take away time and space and have a physical bite to strike a little fear in the opponent. The fact that he’s agile is a bonus. Bottom-pairing defenseman and I like this more than some of the other picks ahead of him. At his size I think he has great feet, defensive zone, two-way D, I think he’s leaning more towards a match up guy and depth. He knows what he is, compete, he has that edge.”
He was ranked 72nd by The Hockey News.
At 89, the Rangers chose Artyom Gonchar. He is the nephew of Sergei Gonchar.
Jason Bukala said on ESPN Plus, “two-way, transitional defenseman, really sneaky with the puck, PP QB. His statistical analysis doesn’t bleed a lot of offense, but he’s capable, he handles it and moves and laterally he can walk the line and open up lanes to make some plays. I think he’s a depth defenseman at the NHL level and will have to clean up some defensive deficiencies, it will take some time.”
At 111, the Rangers chose center Mikkel Eriksen. He is 5-11, 187 from Norway and played in the Swedish Junior League last season.
At 139, the Rangers took Swedish defenseman Zeb Lindgren.
He is 6-2, 198.
On ESPN Mike Kelley said of Lindgren, “interesting combination of skating ability, competitiveness, physicality. He’s a defensive type defenseman. We liked him at 74 and so we see him as a value pick. A lot of growth required in his game to make a path to the NHL but he could do so in a depth role as a defensive, physical type defenseman.”
The Hockey News listed him as a sleeper and said “Thanks to a solid 6-foot-1,
195-pound frame and good mobility, Lindgren is so close to being a good two-way defender. He is quite raw, but the tools and flashes are impressive.”
At 166, the Rangers took Czech RW Samuel Jung. He is 6-3, 172 and had 22 goals and 10 assists in the Finnish junior league.
At 171, the Rangers took defenseman Evan Passmore.
“This guy is old school, he’s a bruiser and the Rangers get a big, physical defenseman. He has some meanness to his game, knows how to kill plays off the rush, doesn’t turn pucks over at a high rate, if you are going to be a bottom-pair defenseman if he does have a career you gotta be safe with the puck and he is that. This guy is mean.”
At 203, the Rangers chose Swedish defenseman Felix Farhammar.