Spaling went undrafted in the OHL after his minor midget season and signed as a free agent with the Listowel Cyclones Jr. B. club of the OHA. After a solid season with the Cyclones, Spaling was chosen in the sixth round of 2005 OHL Priority Selection as a major midget-aged player by the Kitchener Rangers.
Junior
Prior to playing in the OHL, Spaling played with the Listowel Cyclones of the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League.[1] The Cyclones had won the league's Cherry Cup, despite placing seventh (of nine teams) in the regular season. This was the team's only league title in the MWJBHL, although they had won the 1976–77 title while in the Central Junior "C" Hockey League.
The Kitchener Rangers selected Spaling in the sixth round of the 2005 OHL Priority Draft, 118th overall.[1] He played with the Rangers for the duration of his OHL career from 2005 to 2008. He was named the Kitchener Rangers' rookie of the year for the 2005–06 season.[1]
In 2007, he played in the CHL Top Prospects Game.[2] He also played for the OHL All-Stars in the 2007 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge;[1] the OHL team was the only Canadian team to have won both games against the Russian team—the QMJHL and WHL teams both won and lost one game each. Spaling competed in the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic for the Western Conference All-Stars, scoring one goal.
Spaling signed an entry-level contract with the Predators in the summer of 2008.[5] The contract was reported to worth $1.95 million over three years.[6] He attended the Predators' training camp and was later reassigned to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.[7] He began the 2008–09 season playing for the Admirals wearing jersey number 13. After beginning the 2009–10 season with Milwaukee, he was recalled by Nashville,[8] where he played his first NHL game on December 15, 2009, and assisted on a goal by Ryan Jones in Nashville's 7–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.[9] On December 13, 2010, he scored his first NHL goal in a 5–0 win against the New York Islanders.
On July 7, 2011, Spaling signed a two-year contract extension with the Predators.[10]
In his first season with the Maple Leafs in 2015–16, he assumed his customary checking-line role however was unable to replicate his offensive numbers from previous seasons. Spaling also battled injuries throughout the year, being limited to 35 games with the Leafs, where he producing 1 goal and 7 points. Entering the final days leading up to trade deadline, on February 22, 2016, Spaling was traded by the Maple Leafs, along with Roman Polák, to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for two second-round draft selections (2017 and 2018) and Raffi Torres.[15] Spaling made his Sharks debut on February 24, where he recorded a goal on his first shot, playing in his first shift with the club.
He left for Switzerland in the summer of 2016, signing a one-year deal with Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL) in August.[16] Spaling made his NL debut on September 23, 2016, on home ice against Fribourg-Gottéron, after missing the first 6 games with a shoulder injury. He scored his first NL goal on September 24, 2016, in a 5–2 win against HC Lugano at the Resega. His option for a second year was activated on August 8, 2017.[17]
Personal life
Nick Spaling was born in Palmerston, Ontario, but raised in nearby Drayton. His parents are Charles and Lorrie.[18] He has three siblings: older sister Nicole, older brother Nathan, and younger sister Natasha.[18] Nathan also played hockey and was a standout Canadian university player with the UOIT Ridgebacks, as well as having represented the Guelph Storm in the OHL.[18][19]
