After drafting him 156th overall in 2008, the New York Islanders failed to sign Spurgeon to a professional contract. After playing five seasons with the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he won a Memorial Cup with the team, the unsigned defenceman was invited to attend the Minnesota Wild's 2010–11 training camp, and on September 23, 2010, he was rewarded when Minnesota signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract, assigning him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Houston Aeros.