David Spacek is a clever two-way defenseman who plays a responsible game and shows a lot of quality offensive traits. He’s not a flash and dash type of guy, but rather very poised under pressure and able to escape into open ice and he exudes confidence on the defensive side of the puck. He plays one-on-one situations well by controlling the inside of the ice and maintaining a great gap and, although he lacks explosiveness while skating backwards he can, at least at the junior level be very effective. He willingly goes into puck battles along the boards and ventures into open ice with enthusiasm and decisiveness. He uses an active stick, good body positioning, and a bit of toughness to challenge opponents and win possession. On the offensive end of things, he reads the ice in front of him really well. He initiates zone exits with a crisp and accurate first pass, works the offensive blue line at five-on-five, quarterbacks the power play, and finds shooting lanes in order to get pucks to the net for first or second-chance opportunities. There is no question that gaining another step in his skating will be important, as will continued improvements in mobility and edgework. He can also upgrade his net-front defense as he will sometimes get a bit too puck focused and lose track of opponents and leave their stick available. None of these concerns are particularly fatal on their own and can certainly be addressed. Collectively, though, it leaves questions in his game. If he’s able to address these concerns one-by-one it’d go a long way to creating some calmness in his game. Assuming he is able to make those advances, he could make his way into an NHL lineup as a bottom-four defenseman.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide