Spencer Gill – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile – The Hockey Writers –

Spencer Gill

2023-24 Team: Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
Date of Birth: Aug. 17, 2006
Place of Birth: Riverview, NB, CAN
Ht: 6-foot-4 Wt: 185 pounds
Shoots: R
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 first-year eligible

Rankings

From the beginning of the season until now, Rimouski Océanic defender Spencer Gill has continued to improve as the season progressed. As the draft approaches as well as the World U18 Championship– the tournament for draft eligible prospects– Gill continues to improve his stock and work on being a well-rounded, two-way defenseman.

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Gill finished his draft eligible season with 46 points in 65 games, good for 10^th overall among Quebec Maritimes Junior defensemen. In the process, he finished seventh in goals with 12. That’s some decent production for a player that’s only in his sophomore season of junior hockey and only had four assists all of last season. 

When looking at Gill’s game, he’s got great poise and smarts on the backend. He moves well for his size, showing great speed and mobility when carrying the puck. He’s quickly able to find and exploit those lanes when in transition and push the defenders back when entering the offensive zone. His reads and vision are already impressive at his age, knowing when to jump up into plays to keep pucks alive but also when to prioritize defense and not be aggressive with his decision making. 

Gill is a very strong passer, finding the cross seams and being very accurate with his breakout passes and stretch plays. He’s also great at drawing in players to open things up for his teammates and is quick to connect with them. He also has a strong shot from the point and has the awareness to make himself available for a shooting opportunity. When he sees his opportunity to walk in, he won’t pass that up.

He has a great work ethic on the other side of the puck as well, as his defensive game has improved tremendously. He’s better with his reads, defensive positioning and has shown to defend against the rush very well and using his size to his advantage. Having a 6-foot-3, 179-pound frame, you need to know how to utilize that and he’s becoming much better. He’s learning to be more aggressive against puck carriers and he shows great composure when dealing with pressure protecting the puck. 

Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide

Gill needs to add some more strength and…