NHL Draft Prospect Shane Vansaghi Would Add Physicality

For a team perceived as undersized or lacking physicality and grit, Vansaghi could be a brilliant value selection in June, and given his freshman season totals, Vansaghi might turn up the offensive game and make the team that drafts him look like bandits.

Vansaghi posted 6-10-16 totals, through 37 games, a respectable output for the 18-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri. Still, the prospect of him exploding offensively could be intriguing enough to lure teams into taking a flyer on him earlier than scouts projected pre-draft.

He has the physical tools and strength, with a big offseason, Vansaghi could become a great value pick in the late first to early second round. 

Watching the Florida Panthers bully the Edmonton Oilers two years in a row in the Stanley Cup final lends weight to the fact that drafting big, physical forwards with an edge is conducive to winning.

Vansaghi looks every part a winner, and he could be a guy who rises up the board on draft day. With middle-six potential, Vansaghi can disrupt on the forecheck and perhaps develop a penchant for playing in front of the net.

For him to already be imposing himself physically on competition that is much more physically mature, all signs point to him becoming a load in the NHL should he reach that pinnacle, and to think he still has another full season, minimum, in the NCAA to develop and continue growing into his body.