After yesterday’s profile on Carson Bjarnason, next up on our list is defenseman Spencer Gill, a 2024 second-rounder that has played his two post-draft seasons in the QMJHL. The big question mark with Gill remains his injury history, which only continued to cause issues last season in the Q.
No. 17: Spencer Gill
2025-26 Primary League/Team: Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
2025-26 Statistics: 3 G, 8 A in 16 G
Age as of 9/15/2026: 20 (8/17/2006)
Acquired Via: 2024 NHL Draft – Round 2, Pick 59
How did Gill’s 2025-26 season go?
Heading into the start of the season, there was a lot of hope about the trajectory of Gill’s development in his first couple of years post-draft. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Gill’s physical foundation and puck-moving style are easy to project to the professional level. For a right-handed defenseman taken towards the end of the second round, there was lots of hope that Gill would take a massive step forward in his final junior season. Especially after a development camp and a training camp that turned some heads, all things looked to be trending upwards for Gill.
Well, due to a wrist injury that held Gill out from October to February, Gill was only able to play in 16 regular season games and 17 playoff games for the Armada this past season. The injury was described as a “torn sheath” in the wrist, and Gill had to have surgery to remedy the issue mid-season. Right away, Gill’s 2025-26 season was derailed before it even started.
When Gill came back from injury, he slotted right back into a top-4 role with the Armada. Gill was a pivotal part of a defense that included 2026 34th overall pick Xavier Villeneuve, one of the more talented offensive-defensemen in the class. Along with Villeneuve and 2024 Tampa fourth-rounder Jan Golicic, Gill was vital to a team that took the 1st place Moncton Wildcats to Game 7 of the QMJHL semifinals. His ability to blend his puck-moving abilities with a more-refined physical game is hard to come by in the Q, a league that is more defined by its run-and-gun offensive style and not at all by defensive structure.
In terms of his production, Gill maintained a similar scoring rate to his Draft+1 season in 2025-26. In 2024-25, Gill put up 35 points in 51 games, a rate of .68 points per game. In the 33 total games (including playoffs) Gill played this season, Gill scored at a rate of .64 points per game. Essentially breaking even with his previous season, and considering the severity of the wrist injury he recovered from mid-season, it was an overall positive season on the offensive side of the puck for Gill.
What are we expecting from Gill` this season?
Gill is coming to Lehigh Valley for the upcoming season, and that’s probably the best next step for Gill in his development. The number one priority for Gill needs to be getting through a season fully healthy before we can fully evaluate Gill’s chances to be a quality NHLer. It’s not quite make-or-break time for Gill as a prospect yet, but if he goes down with another injury in the AHL? There’s going to be so many people who doubt that Gill will ever be able to avoid injuries at the NHL level.
With the Phantoms, Gill is joining a fun group of defenseman that includes Oliver Bonk, David Jiricek, Ty Murchison, and Hunter McDonald. One or two of this group might be in the NHL at points next season, and Gill will have plenty of opportunity to make his impact in the AHL. He’ll probably be eased into AHL action early next year in a sheltered third pair role, but the Flyers will want Gill to be challenged as the season goes on. If all goes well with Gill and he remains healthy all year, expect Gill to be challenged in a top-4 role with the Phantoms fairly early into the season. In that case where Gill is reaching his ceiling, Gill will hopefully be in the 20-30 point range and solidify his playing style as a puck-moving, physically imposing right-handed defenseman.
How does Gill fit in the Flyers’ organization?
The Flyers are in a really interesting position with their defensive core and depth in the organization. They are very strong with the overall defensive depth in the NHL and AHL. A core three of Travis Sanheim, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale all on manageable deals is pretty good, and there’s a decent wave of defenseman behind them. Spencer Gill is in that next wave, along with Bonk, Jiricek, and to a lesser degree Murchison and McDonald. There may not be a true standout or potential gamebreaker in this group, but Gill is a part of a depth group that will ideally keep the organization healthy for years to come. With the selections of Maksim Sokolovski and Brek Liske this draft, Gill has a few years to really make his case that he should be a part of the next great Flyers team.
What do we think Gill’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
The simple answer for Spencer Gill’s ultimate upside is a puck-moving, top-4 right handed defenseman that any team would love to have. 6-foot-4, 215 pound puck-movers do not grow on trees, and it’s really easy to envision a healthy version of Gill turning into that archetype. At the same time, Gill’s ability to handle the physical rigors of a pro season is going to be tested. His injury history is a massive question mark, and one that could potentially be exacerbated as he adjusts to the pace and physicality of the pro game. Hopefully the increased size and muscle that Gill has added in the last two years will help to mitigate some of those issues, but time will tell with Gill in Lehigh Valley. Either way, this is a massive development year for Gill in terms of his standing within the organization as a future piece.
How we voted
At No. 17:
BradColeEvanJason MKellyKurtMaddieReadersRyan GThomasJack MurtaghSpencer GillJack NesbittHeikki RuohonenMaksim SokolovskiiBrek LiskeAleksei KolosovJack MurtaghShane VansaghiNathan Quinn
For Spencer Gill:
BradColeEvanJason MKellyKurtMaddieReadersRyan GThomas16172221131615222322