SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Every athlete can look back at a turning point in their career.
For Jordan Spence, the opportunity to join the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals as a 16-year-old defenceman provided just that.
Spence played the 2016-17 season with the Charlottetown Pride major midget team and went undrafted in that year’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft. The Caps took him a week later in the third round, 28th overall, of the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) Entry Draft and the rest is history.
“Just getting drafted by Summerside and not getting drafted in the Q helped me,” acknowledged Spence. “Making Summerside, obviously having Billy (McGuigan) as head coach and having a great team helped me to become a better player and a better person.
“Playing against bigger and stronger guys in junior A helped me a lot.”
Click here for feature story on Jordan Spence from November 2017 while playing with the Western Capitals:
Click here for story on Jordan Spence drafted by the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats in 2018:
After one season with the Caps, Spence made a successful transition to the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats.
“The adjustment I made with Moncton was another big step,” added Spence.
McGuigan admitted he did not know if Spence would make the Caps at the beginning of training camp. But the veteran coach noted every time he challenged Spence with added responsibilities he flourished to the point where he was quarterbacking the top power-play unit.
“He was a 16-year-old coming in as a defenceman in the Maritime (Junior) Hockey League and you didn’t know,” said McGuigan. “Again, it was his determination that pushed him through.”
Spence’s father, Adam, reiterated the influence the Caps had on his son’s development.
“The Caps giving him the opportunity and believing in him was probably the biggest thing,” said Adam. “Of course it was on Jordan and he did his thing, but what the Caps did believing in him and all that, was really what was the start of launching his confidence.”
Click here for related draft story with Jordan Spence:
Click here for another related draft story with Jordan Spence:
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