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Philadelphia Flyers 2025 Top 25 Under 25, No. 18: Spencer Gill
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ects-2025-top-25-under-25-no-18-spencer-gill/
Welcome to Broad Street Hockey’s Summer 2025 Top Under 25! The series is back and with the Philadelphia Flyers focusing so much on the future, it’s more important than ever. Join us as we rank the 25 best players under the age of 25 for the next few weeks.
No. 18: Spencer Gill
2024-25 Primary League/Team: Rimouski (QMJHL)
2024-25 Statistics: 6 G, 29 A, in 51 games
Age as of 8/28/2025: 19 (8/17/2006)
Acquired Via: 2024 NHL Draft – Round 2, Pick 59
Number 18 brings us an intriguing defensive prospect from the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League in the lanky, skilled, Spencer Gill.
Despite an injury ending his season early, Gill once again led the charge on the Rimouski back end, scoring the most points of any defender, and being relied on to play the lion’s share of minutes. And while an offseason trade to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada may have changed the scenery, it still insures that Gill will have the leading role on a QMJHL team that will be trying to contend.
How did Gill’s 2024-25 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?
Gill’s stock was continuing to remain steady during what turned out to be a solid final campaign with the Rismouski Oceanic, before an ankle injury ended his season in early March and caused the defender to miss the entirety of the Oceanic’s playoff run, that ended in defeat to the Moncton Wildcats. Despite the injury, Gill was still the highest scoring defenseman on the team with 35 points in 51 games. His loss was a huge blow to a Rismouki team that was looking like a true contender, and finished the QMJHL regular season with a blistering 46-14-4 record.
Gill was the best defender on the roster, leading the line and looking like the poised, smooth skating giant that got the Flyers so excited when they drafted him in the second round of the 2024 NHL draft. His play was rewarded with a spot on Team Canada’s roster for the recent World Junior Summer Showcase, which continues the trend of Hockey Canada looking favorably upon the 19-year old, after already being a member of Canada’s team at the under-18 World Championships the year prior.
Gill was the best defender on his team, and compared well when matched against high level talent. While he missed out on an opportunity to play on the biggest stage at the end of the year, the work he did before his injury was sound and showed that he is primed for a breakout next season. Gill’s naturally smooth skating stride at a stout 6-foot-4 and passing vision have continued to be his most noticeable traits, but as he gains experience, his physical game is starting to come along as well. He has become a bit tougher of a customer and is not shy about playing in front of the net, and he is partial to a big open ice check, if the situation calls for it.
But what really stood out was his ability to use his height and scan above the traffic in order to get shots to the net, and make pinpoint breakout passes that aren’t very easy to pull off. That X-factor, combined with Gill’s size, is a very intriguing package.
What are we expecting from Gill this season? What should we be looking for from him?
Gill’s career in Rimouski is finished, but he will still play next season in the QMJHL after being traded to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in June, who also acquired recent Pittsburgh first rounder Bill Zonnon around the same time. He should be once again a part of a team that has their sights set on playoff success on a team that also features high-flying first rounder Justin Carbonneau, projected top-15 talent Xavier Villeneuve, and two NHL prospect goaltenders.
Gill will step in and immediately become the Armada’s most heavily relied upon defenseman, supplemented by the aforementioned Villeneuve. Whether power play, penalty kill, or five-on-five, it should be a steady diet of minutes for the Flyer prospect. With another year of CHL play under his belt, there is a reasonable expectation that Gill should take another step in production and improve on his 35 points in 51 games, not only due to his experience, but also due to his developing skills and confidence with the puck on his stick.
Much of what makes a great offensive defenseman boils down to confidence, knowing when to maximize the space given to you, without putting your team in jeopardy on the other end. Gill seems to be learning how to walk that fine line, and has flashed the raw puck skills that make it plausible to expect that he can take a jump towards some more gaudy numbers, maybe even flirting with something just under a point per game pace.
How does Gill fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?
At 19 years old and in what should be his final QMJHL season, Gill will be breaking into pro hockey within the next two years at most, depending mostly upon if a move to the NCAA isn’t too tempting. So he should just start making a push for a roster spot just as the Flyers are starting to really make their move into contention.
There’s a chance that the Flyers are able to turn this ship around before Gill truly arrives for NHL duty, but he should at the very least be apart of a second wave of prospects who will be pushing the (hopefully) established roster players.
What do we think Gill’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
I am higher on Gill than my colleagues, evidently, and I really think he has the sort of standout tools to become a late-bloomer who can help supplement even the strongest defensive corps, with his puck moving skills and lengthy skating stride. That skill ceiling opens doors, and will make it so Gill won’t have to necessarily turn into either a shut down stopper or offensive dynamo, and will have the freedom to develop into someone who is a bit more of a jack of all trades. As he continues to fill out his frame, he will become even more of a physical presence, and hopefully arrive at a point where he resembles something like Braydon Coburn.
But even if he doesn’t reach his full potential and beecome a top-pair defenseman, there’s seemingly enough here to turn Gill into an improved Phillippe Myers-type late bloomer, who can play a fast-paced offensive game while also adding in that crucial dimension, that Myers lacked, of throwing the body around without getting caught in a bad defensive shape.
As far as likelihood goes, I’d say it’s a pretty good chance that Gill stands out during training camp, builds some hype, and pushes on to establish himself as one of the more intriguing Flyers of the future. The skills are here, it’s just a matter of limiting mistakes and finding consistency with his play.
Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2025 Top 25 Under 25:
- Intro / Honorable Mentions
- 25. Hunter McDonald
- 24. Cole Knuble
- 23. Samu Tuomaala
- 22. Carter Amico
- 21. Helge Grans
- 20. Jack Berglund
- 19. Jack Murtagh
Source
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ects-2025-top-25-under-25-no-18-spencer-gill/