Michigan State's Shane Vansaghi Shane Vansaghi [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwODg0MzU4NTQ5MDIyNTQ1/9uezoqau.jpg] Shane Vansaghi While Boston College's James Hagens has rightly garnered a lot of attention this season, he's not the only 2025 NHL draft prospect playing in the NCAA. In fact, another powerhouse boasts its own exciting freshman - and he's been on quite the roll lately. Michigan State right winger Shane Vansaghi has posted six points in his past four games (not counting an exhibition game against the NTDP) with the Spartans and just earned Big Ten third star of the week honors. Not bad for a kid who usually plays a bottom-six role. "The mindset for me is that I go out there and give it everything I've got," Vansaghi said. "Whether it's power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5, overtime, I'm working hard and I'm going to play my game." That game is predicated on power. Vansaghi comes in at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and he skates very well. He's not afraid to get physical and at 18, the freshman is only going to get stronger. To that end, he's in a great place, as Michigan State boasts a top-notch strength and conditioning coach in Will Morlock, the Spartans' head of athletic performance. "Will is one of the best in the business, I love him," Vansaghi said. "Especially the way I play, having a big strong body and being able to go 60 minutes throughout the game is really important." Like Morlock, Vansaghi came to Michigan State via USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, where he was teammates with Hagens and University of Wisconsin freshman Logan Hensler, another intriguing 2025 draft prospect (all three have late 2006 birthdays). Though Vansaghi didn't find the scoresheet until the fourth game of the regular season, he's really started putting it together at Michigan State, a team that is veteran-heavy and currently ranked second in the nation behind only Denver. "We see everyone's best," he said. "The intensity is definitely higher, but I feel like I've held my ground. I put a lot of work in during the summer and I feel very comfortable." Coach Adam Nightingale has utilized Vansaghi in a variety of roles and while it's usually in the bottom six, the freshman has been rewarded with bumps up to scoring lines. When I saw him in a win over Canisius, for example, Vansaghi ended the game on a line with NHL first-rounders Charlie Stramel (MIN) and Isaac Howard (TB). Of course, there is still much to do as Vansaghi develops and he knows what he wants to improve on. "I like to work on finding better space," he said. "Putting myself in better opportunities off the rush and putting myself in situations where I can use my size and skating to my advantage." Born and raised in St. Louis, Vansaghi went to the Stanley Cup parade when the Blues took home the title in 2019. And one of the city's famous sons is now a player he likes to watch in the NHL. "I like Brady Tkachuk a lot, especially with him being from St. Louis," Vansaghi said. "I like how he uses his size to create offense and I like his creativity. Seeing what he does, I try to pick things up and add them to my game." Truly this is just the beginning for Vansaghi, but if he continues to work hard and produce with Michigan State, he might end up playing with or against Tkachuk in the NHL in the future.
