Shane Vansaghi is an 18-year-old, six-foot-two right-shot right winger, born on October 11, 2006, in St. Louis, Missouri. He spent the 2024-25 season with Michigan State University. He is projected to be drafted early in the second round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Draft Projections
#42 Inside The Rink
#51 TSN Bob McKenzie
#33 NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Diving Deeper
Vansaghi spent the 2024-25 season as a freshman and one of the youngest NCAA players on the Michigan State University hockey team. He finished the year with six goals and 10 assists over 37 games.
Hockey IQ
Vansaghi has shown his ability to really ‘grind’ in the third line. He is capable and comfortable with the dirty work that can be required of the bottom six and uses his size to his advantage. He uses physicality to run through both ends of the ice, and he can move through the neutral zone with the intent to open the ice up for his teammates to make a play with the puck. Vansaghi has the vision to see lanes and plays as they unfold in front of him, while using his body to protect the puck in the offensive zone.
Areas to Improve
Vansaghi could improve on his acceleration and overall speed, which will come with time, practice, and conditioning. The only other real area to improve would be his East/West movements, but again, that is something that can be trained into him.
Final Thoughts
Vansaghi is still a young player with quite a bit of room to prove himself on Michigan State’s deeply talented team. That being said, as he works his way up towards more of a top-six role, some of his weaknesses could be improved upon. He is a defensively sound player and could be deployed on the penalty kill as his career progresses.
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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