Jordan Spence is a bit of a late bloomer and has used the adversity he has faced to make himself a better hockey player. Undrafted in his first year of eligibility in midget, he had a tremendous year as a 16-year-old in the Maritime Junior A circuit with the Summerside Western Capitals, leading all 16-year-olds in goals, assists and points, leading all defenders in assists and being named the MHL’s rookie of the year. That progression led him to be selected in the second round of the QMJHL’s draft last June. He has continued that progression this season and has impressed since the moment he stepped on QMJHL ice. He has already shown skills as a high-level distributor and has excellent hockey sense offensively, and he has shown evidence of improvement and the wherewithal to correct mistakes. He is making smarter pinches in the offensive zone and better reads at handling faster and stronger forwards on the back end. Moncton’s acquisition of Aleksi Anttalainen has provided him with a free-wheeling partner where both defenders can rush the puck or sit back and cover, and the two have been a strong pair for new coach John Torchetti. He is very coachable and wants to improve, and a team will be getting a solid offensive defenceman who wants to get better at the next level.
| Jordan Spence | Eligible 2019 Draft |
|---|---|
| Position: D, Shoots R | H/W: 5-10", 165 lbs |
| Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) | Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL (53-3-37-40-16) |
Skating: Spence has a swift, effortless stride. He flies up and down the ice. He uses his full extension to get maximum power out of every stride, and while he has a smaller frame, he has long legs for his size. He pairs that up with great edge work, which allows him to cover a lot of ice in a short amount of time. He has had no trouble handling the speed of oncoming forwards on the rush but could tighten up his backwards skating C-cuts into more of a straight line. Grade: 55
Shot: Spence’s weapon of choice is a wrist shot, but his shot has not been a factor yet this season, scoring only three goals so far. Having said that, Spence is not afraid to skate down low in the zone and shoot from in tight if need be. He has been among the league leaders in high danger shots from blueliners this season. He does not have the strength to fire a strong slap shot, but it is improving, and he has been willing to let it fly more as the season goes on. He has potential to improve his shooting techniques to become a factor joining the rush, but at present, he is a swingman, not a triggerman. Grade: 45
Skills: It is not often that a 17-year-old rookie defenceman is the quarterback in the offensive zone, but Spence has been strong on the point from day one in the QMJHL. He is a very good distributor of the puck in any zone and can hit the open man. He also recognizes risk and reward smartly in terms of his passing, opting for the short, safe pass or the long bomb as needed, and he can hit both in stride. He has a lot of poise with the puck, especially in the offensive zone, and is not afraid to carry the puck on the rush. He also is not afraid to read the play and pinch with the puck from the point to compress the offensive zone. His calmness with the puck on his stick is ahead of his years. Grade: 55
Smarts: Spence shows real raw potential as an offensive defenceman, but he does have hiccups. He is prone to risky pinching in the offensive zone to keep the play moving but he can be caught dangerously deep in the zone. He is learning to read the play at the quicker Q pace, and his mistakes have been reduced, but not eliminated. Related to that, he gives good gaps on oncoming forwards on the rush, but he can get caught giving up room side-to-side skating backwards, where instead of holding the inside shoulder, he slips to the outside one, and gets burned giving up the middle of the ice. His skating can make up for these deficiencies, and you would rather see a defender take chances, but it is present in his game right now. Otherwise, he is a smart, solid defenceman who covers the right areas of the ice and protects the net well. He reads the play while his team has the puck very well and knows where to go to continue offensive pressure. Grade: 55
Physicality: Spence will need to add strength to progress as a defender, but he does have the right body position and he is not restricted at his craft defensively due to his size. He is not a factor along the boards right now, but with natural growth, he could be decent along the wall, as he has good positioning defensively in the corners and is willing to cover the corner defensively. He is also stronger in front of the net than his size shows and can fight for position to prevent screens by using both his body and his smarts, but he does have trouble with the bigger forwards, especially if they anchor themselves in front of his cage. Grade: 45
Overall Future Projection (OFP): 52