Cika wannan jumla:
Bayan da aka kira shi a matsayin Mafi Girma CHL Prospect a shekara ta 2001, Ottawa Senators sun rubuta Spezza a karo na biyu, bayan da Atlanta Thrashers ta zabi Ilya Kovalchuk. Zaɓin na biyu na gaba ɗaya ya kasance na New York Islanders amma an yi ciniki zuwa Ottawa (tare da Zdeno Chára da Bill Muckalt) don musayar Alexei Yashin a ranar da aka tsara. A lokacin bazara na shekara ta 2001, Spezza ya ba da gayyatar zuwa sansanin rani na ƙungiyar matasa na Kanada saboda ya ce yana so ya shirya don sansanin NHL na farko.