It is that time of the year again. It’s time for us to select our annual Steal of the NHL Draft. With exactly two weeks until the New York Islanders are on the clock with the first-overall pick, teams are finalizing their draft lists hoping to find as many steals as possible.
A quick recap of last year’s steal. We selected Kieron Walton as our 2024 Steal of the Draft. He was listed outside the top-100 on Central Scouting’s Final List. He wasn’t taken until the sixth round by the Winnipeg Jets. However, we thought his combination of size and increased role going into his D+1 year made him a potential steal.
The Jets signed Walton to his entry-level contract this past season. While we feel great about this pick, the time has come to look ahead to this draft.
Our steal this season is much higher on the list than Walton was at this time last season. It’s a name most everyone is aware of. Still, at least in my mind, something feels off about his current projection.
We define a steal as anyone who is picked later than they should while providing an extra level of value based on overall production. We thought Walton was a top-60 player who was ranked outside the top-100.
This season, our steal is expected to hear his name in the first round but somewhere in the 20’s. Based on watching him and getting to know him for the last couple of seasons, I think he’s one of the 10 best players in this entire draft. That’s a steal any day of the week.
Playoff teams from last season who have their first rounder have the potential to land a really good prospect that could exceed the value of the pick. Any time there’s more to the story than what the numbers say, it requires some background and context.
Meet our 2025 Steal of the Draft. He’s Malcolm Spence.
Why Spence is a Steal
Spence’s numbers aren’t going to leap off the page like they would for someone like Michael Misa. This is where context matters as to why his numbers may seem low.
With the Erie Otters, Spence was never asked to be the offensive driver on the team. Under Stan Butler, one of the more defensively-minded coaches in junior, Spence focused on defending his own end first. Then he worried about producing offense.
For someone to see increasing point totals in his three seasons with the Otters with a defense-first mentality, that makes Spence’s profile more appealing. He went from 42 to 62 to 73 points. He is over a point per game (135…
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