He’s not the biggest dog in the fight, but he may still bark just loud enough to wake the neighbours.
Spencer Abraham stands at just five-foot-11, but the Brampton Battalion defenseman made noise in his rookie season in the Ontario Hockey League. The 18-year-old finished with 31 points in 67 games, third in rookie scoring among defensemen in the OHL behind Nick Ebert and Ryan Sproul.
Slotted 168th overall in Future Considerations’ final rankings for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, it’s Abraham’s offensive prowess that could make the Campbellville, ON. native a jumper on draft day.
“Offensively, his game is that of a puck rushing defenseman who keeps his head up, makes smart passes to his line mates and can carry the puck from his zone to the opponents,” Future Considerations’ chief scout Dan Stewart said of the blueliner.
“His transition from defense to offense and ability to set up the quick strike offensive is another asset that should have NHL teams contemplating him as a mid-to-late option.”
His game isn’t without holes though.
Weighing in at 177-pounds. Bigger, stronger forwards have at times, overwhelmed Abraham.
“(His) downside is that he often gets overpowered when put into situations where he needs to use his physical strength to win puck battles.”
Still, the good outweighs the bad and Abraham, which will have teams looking at him later in the draft.
“NHL teams will contemplate him as a mid-to-late option.”
Which will put the dog in the fight.
Aaron Vickers is the managing editor of Future Considerations and can be found on Twitter. For all the latest Future Considerations news and posts, follow FC’s Official Twitter Feed, on YouTube and on Facebook!