Nathan Aspinall (ice hockey)

Aspinall was drafted by the Flint Firebirds in the 2nd round with the 33rd pick of the 2022 Ontario Hockey League Priority Draft.^[1] During the 2022-23 season he scored 1 goal and 3 assists in 29 games for Flint.^[2] In 2023-24 he improved to 18 goals and 16 assists in 65 games.^[2] After the season he was drafted by the Rangers in the 5th round of the NHL entry draft with the 159th overall selection.^[3] He scored 17 goals and 30 assists in 62 games for Flint in 2024-24.^[2] At the end of the season, he was signed to an amateur try-out contract by the Rangers' AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, where he went scoreless in 5 games.^[2][4]

For the 2025-26 season, Aspinall was named the Flint captain and dramatically increased his offensive production.^[5][6] This is in part due to improvements in his ability to shoot accurately and powerfully while skating.^[6] He finished the season second in the OHL in scoring with 33 goals and 61 assists in 65 games.^[2][7] The 61 assists were a single-season Flint franchise record.^[7] He was named the OHL player of the week for the week of 10–16 November after scoring 4 goals and 3 assists in 3 games.^[3][8] In the OHL playoffs, he added another 10 goals and 7 assists in 8 games.^[2][9] Following the first round of the playoffs Aspinall ranked 2nd in the OHL with 13 playoff points, trailing only his teammate and fellow New York Ranger prospect Jacob Battaglia.^[10] At the end of the season, Aspinall was a finalist for 2 major OHL awards. He was one of 5 finalists for the Red Tilson Trophy, awarded to the OHL's the most outstanding player (MVP).^[7][11] He was also named as one of 4 finalists for the Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy, awarded to the "OHL team captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey and his community."^[5][12] Although he did not win either award, he was named the OHL first all-star team left wing for the season.^[13][14][15]

Aspinall was signed to a 3 year entry-level contract by the Rangers in October 2025^[4][16] During Rangers summer development camp in July 2026, Aspinall was joined by his Flint linemates Battaglia and Darian Anderson, who the Rangers drafted in the 2026 NHL entry draft.^[17][18]

Aspinall stands at 6 feet, 7 inches tall.^[4][6] He does not rely on finesse playmaking but rather on applying relentless pressure and aggressive puck pursuit.^[9] According to Marty Williamson, general manager of the OHL Barrie Colts, "He was kind of gangly early and not as coordinated, (but) he just kept getting better and better."^[19] His coach at Flint, Paul Flache, said "His skill set was always there. He’s a big man, rangy, very good puck skills, very, very good vision — and so you knew over time, he was going to grow into his body...Those summers, you see them go from a boy to a man sometimes. That’s what we noticed, was just when he came to camp, he had grown up and matured, and the confidence grew from year to year."^[19]

In March 2026 Scott Wheeler of The Athletic rated Aspinall as the Rangers' 8th best prospect.^[20] Wheeler said that he has "great hands and poise for a player his size" and an NHL shot, but "he’s not the big, mean player you’d expect out of a winger that size, and he’s a below-average skater."^[20]

Prior to the 2026-27 season, New York Times sportswriters Vincent Z. Mercogliano and Peter Baugh rated Aspinall as the Rangers' 6th best prospect, stating that he "blossomed into a towering, 207-pound force who would often overwhelm OHL defensemen."^[19]

Aspinall's father is named Paul and his mother is named Valerie. Growing up, Aspinall was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Growing up, Aspinall also played baseball.^[21]