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
- NHL Central Scouting: 29th (among NA skaters)
- Future Considerations: 54th
- Peter Baracchini’s March Rankings: 64th
- Logan Horn’s April Rankings: 65th
- Andrew Forbes’ February Rankings: 71st
- Dobber Prospects Mid- Season Rankings: 89th
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 10th 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 continue to improve his evolving defensive game, but the improvements he made away from the puck this season have shown. If he was able to put in the work and develop this quickly, that will definitely garner a lot of attention.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Spencer Gill – NHL Draft Projection
At the beginning of the season, Gill probably wasn’t on a lot of scouts’ radar, but with the improvements made to his defensive game, he quickly improved his draft stock. Instead of being a fourth-round selection, he’s made the jump to be a late second, or even an early third-round pick. If he has a strong U18 tournament, he could improve his value even more.
Quotables
“His hockey sense and puck game sticks out for a defenseman of his size. He sees the ice well, finds his options on breakouts and transition plays and is very good at the offensive blue line.” – Jean-Francois Damphousse, Central Scouting
“There were a lot of red flags surrounding his defensive abilities as a whole but he has really improved in his gap control and positioning this season. Furthermore, Gill has taken a big step offensively by refining his breakout/transition game while using his large frame to shield defenders during his activations.” – Sasha Lagarde, Dobber Prospects
Strengths
- Transitional play and breakout passing
- Good skater for his size
- Strong awareness and on-ice IQ
- Great poise and confidence
Under Construction- Improvements to Make
- Took major steps to improve defensively
- Needs to add more strength
- Build off strong offensive season
NHL Potential
The ceiling and potential will only grow for Gill if he can continue to improve on his weaknesses and build on his strengths. He can definitely be a steady, second-pairing defender with the ability to be a very strong puck mover on the back end. Whether he can move up and be a top-three defender remains to be seen. But he has a lot of qualities and strengths in his game to do so.
Risk- Reward Analysis
Risk- 2.5/5, Reward 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense- 6/10, Defense 6/10
Awards/ Achievements
Gill was a member of the Moncton Flyers U18 AAA team that won the Telus Cup in 2022, finishing with seven assists in seven games. Gill is also playing for Team Canada at the World U18 Championship.
Interviews/ Links
Youtube: QMJHL Facebook Live
