Despite groin and hamstring injuries that limited Spurgeon to 61 games, the diminutive defenseman still put together a solid offensive campaign, missing his 2016-17 scoring totals by a single goal. While the presence of Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba ahead of him on the depth chart puts a firm cap on his ceiling, Spurgeon has still scored at least 25 points in five straight seasons and scored at least nine goals in four straight, and his vision and passing skills (not to mention his regular spot on the power play) should continue to make him a consistent secondary scoring threat off the blue line. He's also surprisingly effective in his own end despite his lack of physicality, and Spurgeon has averaged 137 blocked shot over the last four seasons.
Size simply doesn't matter for the 5-foot-9 Spurgeon, who’s developed into an excellent defenseman and a key piece for the Wild. He finished 13th in Norris Trophy voting after turning in a career year in 2016-17 -- 10 goals, 38 points, a plus-33 rating and a career-high 24:02 of ice time per game. Spurgeon is a prototypical modern-day defenseman: not dominant physically, but dangerous thanks to his quick transitions and smooth skating ability. The 27-year-old’s emergence has taken some pressure off Ryan Suter, as Spurgeon’s proven to be just as dangerous as his defensive partner. He’s no longer Minnesota’s best kept secret, so he'll face challenges as opposing teams begin targeting him more, but there’s no doubt the Wild will continue leaning on Spurgeon. However, it’s also possible that we've seen him score about as much as he ever will. It's not unlikely that Spurgeon will clear 40 points a few times in his career, but he wasn't a quality contributor on the power play last year, making his surprising 13 man-advantage points from the year before look like a fluke. With the Wild seemingly likely to increase young hotshot Mathew Dumba’s power-play minutes at the expense of Spurgeon’s, it'll be hard for the veteran to see a big spike in production.
It’s hard to be an undersized blueliner, but Spurgeon has carved out an important role over six years in Minnesota, and last season was his best so far. He set career marks with 11 goals and 29 points despite reportedly having dealt with a nagging upper-body injury all year long. Health’s been an issue in the past, and it may be the only thing that could Spurgeon from seeing a sizable increase in production this year, as he’s locked into a top-line role on the Minnesota blue line with plentiful power-play time. He’s come a long way since being picked 156th overall by the Islanders in 2008.
For a defenseman, Spurgeon fits an interesting profile. At just 5-foot-9, he’s far from the imposing figure Marco Scandella is, but can be just as effective. Last season, Spurgeon put up nine goals and 16 assists, while committing just six minutes worth of penalties to go along with 124 blocks. Like the other top-four Wild defensemen, Spurgeon logs a lot of ice time, averaging 22:37 a game, which was good for third on the team. Spurgeon also contributes on the power play, recording three goals and three assists with the man advantage. In line to see 20-plus minutes again alongside Scandella, Spurgeon is an intriguing option for your fantasy team, but durability is a question mark. Last season, he played 66 games and has never played more than 70 in a season. If he can make it through the upcoming campaign in one piece, than he’ll help buoy your ice time and provide decent offensive numbers for a blueliner.
Spurgeon's star is on the rise, what with career-high totals last season in goals (five), assists (21), plus/minus (plus-15), penalty minutes (16), and average time on ice (22:38). He accomplished all of that in just 67 games last season, and then followed up with three goals and three assists in 13 playoff games. He's a smaller defender, but is in line to get some serious minutes in the top four. Thirty points are within reach.
Spurgeon is a strong passer who saw his output on offense increase last season with 15 points in 39 games. He became a stalwart on the man advantage, averaging 3:31 power play minutes per game and scored seven points there. At age 23, he could continue to improve, as he'll get plenty of minutes on one of Minnesota's top two blue line pairings. He's a real fantasy sleeper.
A slick-passer and undersized for your typical NHL defenseman, Spurgeon has potential to put up solid numbers from the Minnesota blue line. He notched 23 points in 70 games last year and will turn just 23 in November. He won't score many goals, but he has the chance to challenge 30 points this season should he -- and not Tom Gilbert -- settle in on Minnesota's top power play unit opposite Ryan Suter. Follow them in camp and target Spurgeon in the later rounds of deep leagues. Just don't expect him to anchor your roster's defensive scoring.
Last season Minnesota gave the feisty Spurgeon a chance to play in the NHL, where he tallied 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 53 games as a rookie. The team also tested him out on the man advantage, with the 21-year-old averaging 1:28 of power-play ice time that same year. One would think that Spurgeon is at a disadvantage because of his diminutive frame – he's only 5-foot-9, 185 pounds – but he compensates with good vision and a lot of energy. It will be fun to see how Spurgeon progresses in the NHL, though chances are he'll be available on the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues in 2011-12.
