Philly might still be riding it’s high from the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory, but things were dark at the Wells Fargo Center this season. The Flyers finished tied for the fourth-worst team in the league, tied with the Bruins as they each went 33-39 with 10 overtime losses.
Friday night in Los Angeles, the Flyers were on a mission to improve their offense. They had nine picks and the options were vast.
Philadelphia opted for seven forwards and two defensemen in the 2025 NHL Draft, making two selections in the first round and four in the second. With the 48th overall pick, the Flyers selected Michigan State freshman Shane Vansaghi.
A scrappy forward, Vansaghi’s selection was between left winger Jack Murtaugh (40th overall) and center Matthew Gard (57th overall). It was a pick praised by many sportswriters.
“Talk about getting tougher to play against. [Jack] Nesbitt, [Carter] Amico, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard are absolute physical beasts, and Martone can flatten guys if he needs to, as well,” Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote, giving the Flyers an A+ Draft grade. “Nesbitt can be the team’s No. 3 center, while Vansaghi and Gard are going to be miserable to contain.”
It was a smart move for Philadelphia, who received a B+ Draft grade from The Score’s Kyle Cushman.
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“Vansaghi is a menace on the forecheck,” Cushman wrote. “Philadelphia eventually becomes harder to play against with this kind of draft class.”
As a Spartan, the right winger skated in all 37 games, recording 16 points on six goals and 10 assists, and was the sixth-youngest player in NCAA hockey. Prior to Michigan State, Vansaghi skated two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and appeared in 59 games with the U18 team during the 2023-24 season, tallying 23 points (12 goals and 11 assists).
Philadelphia rounded out their nine selections with first round grabs Porter Malone (sixth overall) and Nesbitt (12th overall), second rounder Amico (38th overall), fifth round picks Max Westergard (132nd overall) and Luke Vlooswyk (157th overall), and sixth round selection Nathan Quinn (164th overall).
