Tampa Bay Lightning: Top Ten Lightning Prospects

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Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; General view of team executives on the arena floor in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Coming in at number nine in our rankings is highly skilled puck moving defenseman Matthew Spencer.

When the Tampa Bay Lightning selected defenseman Matthew Spencer with the 44th overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft I got very excited. The 6’2 188 lb defenseman is a two-way defenseman that logs heavy minutes on the ice. His team has also been a recent place where Tampa Bay Lightning prospects have been coming in waves including Dominik Masin, Jonne Tammela, and Slater Koekkoek.

Scouts had Spencer ranked from as high as the 20th overall pick in the draft to the top of the third round. Why such a big difference? Well, Spencer is seen differently when it comes to how scouts feel like he will develop. Will he be just a stay at home puck moving defenseman that can take the body against the wall or will he develop an offensive side to his game?

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Luckily for the Lightning, he fell to them in the middle of the first round. An organization that is in need of right-handed defenseman that can be a shut down defender and also contribute offensively. As of now, Anthony DeAngelo is the only right-handed defender in the team’s prospect pool that has this skill set. Along with his ability to defend and log a ton of minutes on the ice, he is highly regarded for his leadership both on and off the ice.

Here are some of the things I noticed in Spencer’s game when I watched him play.

"“A very strong defensive defenseman, Spencer has the ability to quickly read the play in front of him before making a strong outlet pass to his forwards. He rarely makes mistakes in his own end and can take the body along the boards. He also has the ability to take the puck into the offensive zone himself if the opportunity presents itself. If he continues to develop properly, he could one day see himself as a top-4 defenseman in the NHL.”"

Pretty nice praise for the Guelph, Ontario native. A right-handed defeseman who is responsible in his own end is a good get in the second round. However, there is a chance that he could develop an offensive side to his game as well.

He provides a heavy shot and excellent vision from the point, and acts as the team’s quarterback in the offensive zone and directs most of the offense on the power play.

That potential, along with his ability to defend, is the reason why he is our ninth ranked prospect in the organization.

Next: Number Eight: Matthew Peca

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