Shane Vansaghi already leaving his mark on Flyers development camp — and the staff

Riley Armstrong, the Flyers’ director of player development, sat at the podium in Voorhees on Thursday following the second day of development camp when a questioner started off asking about Shane Vansaghi.

“The Truck?” Armstrong interjected.

Come again?

“He’s big out there,” Armstrong said of the Flyers’ 2025 second-round pick before expanding on it with a chuckle that it was “The Mack Truck.”

“We always have to try and tell guys, pretend you’re in a game, but he doesn’t pretend — like that’s just who he is. So it’s really fun. He caught me by surprise in a couple of drills with how heavy he is. I don’t work out every day. So he kind of went right through me pretty good, so I [had to] take a little breather after,” Armstrong said of the 6-foot-3, 216-pound winger.

And how does Vansaghi feel about the nickname, which he first learned of when speaking to the media? “I’ll take that,” he said with a smile, adding that it must have happened with Armstrong, who was holding a pad when he threw a check.

It has been a whirlwind few days for Vansaghi, who had around 28 people with him in Los Angeles at the draft. In just two days, he has left an impression at camp — and not just on Armstrong. As he skates, he looks like a man on a mission.

“Anytime I’m doing any drill on the ice, no matter if it’s July or October, I try and go into it like it’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and try and just compete,” the St. Louis native said.

It became very clear that assistant general manager Brent Flahr’s words after the draft — “I think he’s got some work to do to get to the NHL, but once he does, he’ll be a fan favorite” — could truly be prophetic.

“I compete, and I think I play a big power forward game, and I think fans appreciate that work ethic, and they appreciate that kind of relentless attitude and mindset,” he said, when told of Flahr’s comment and how he gets the crowd going at Michigan State.

“I don’t think I’ll ever give up on a puck battle or give up on a foot race. So I think the basis of my game is just a big energy player, and I think that opens up a lot of time and space for me, but I think the physicality and the energy and just the size and power make [me] an exciting player to watch.”

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In the just finished season, Vansaghi had six goals and 16 points in 37 games for the Spartans, where he played on the fourth line. This season, he’s focused on taking the next step.

“I always want more. I’m never satisfied. And I want to score more goals, want to have more hits, want to earn more ice time,” he said, adding it was nice to have his Spartan teammate Karsen Dorwart, who signed as a free agent in April, in Voorhees.

“There’s really no expectations,” Vansaghi. “I’m going to show up at Michigan State, and I’m going to do everything I can to prove to the coaching staff that I belong up in the lineup, playing more minutes, and that’s my goal. I believe I can do that, and I think that, just like my self-belief and confidence, will get me there.”

The college ranks are filling up with Flyers these days.

Aside from Vansaghi, Boston University will have a three-headed monster in defenseman Carter Amico, forwards Jack Murtagh and Owen McLaughlin. Amico and Murtagh were just drafted in the second round. McLaughlin, a 2021 seventh-rounder, is heading east after spending three seasons at the University of North Dakota.

Ryan McPherson, a sixth-rounder in 2023, played 18 games at the University of New Hampshire this past season. Forward Cole Knuble, the son of former Flyer Mike Knuble, skates for the University of Notre Dame. He just put up 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 34 games in his second year.

“I think the first year at Notre Dame, he got off to a slow start, got the snub for Team USA [for World Juniors], and then following that, he’s been a point per game guy at NCAA, which is big. … This is his third development camp; he’s kind of like the leader being out there,” Armstrong said.

“So for me, watching him and taking those strides right now, it’s really fun to watch him play,” Armstrong said. “Like, he’s the one player that, when I go there, I’m like fired up to go to a game. The golden helmets are pretty cool, too.”

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And there are two more names to add to the list. Heikki Ruohonen confirmed that he is going to Harvard University in the fall to play hockey and study either economics or government, and Noah Powell is heading back to college, this time at Arizona State. Both were drafted last year.

Powell was at Ohio State this past season but left to play juniors for Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League to work on his game and continue to focus on becoming a “nitty-gritty” player. He nailed 2025 first-round pick Jack Nesbitt really hard on Thursday.

“A school that really, really wanted me, and they liked me for me,” Powell said of ASU, which recently helped Ty Murchison go from a fifth-round pick in 2021 to the 2025 National College Hockey Conference Defensive Defenseman of the Year. “And they understood and accepted my flaws, and they’re going to help me work through some of the stuff that I do in games and someone that values me. I want to go there and put some work in and do big things with them.”

The Flyers announced on Thursday the ninth edition of their Community Caravan. It begins with a Shore Tour July 15-17, stopping in Ocean City (noon-2 p.m. on July 15 at the Sports and Civic Center), North Wildwood (3:30-5:30 p.m. on July 16 at Albert Allen Park), and Sea Isle City (2:30-4 p.m. on July 17 at Excursion Park ).

The tour will also stop in Plymouth Township on July 30 (5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Great Plymouth Community Center) and at the University of Delaware’s Fred Rust Ice Arena from 11:30-1:30 p.m. on Sept. 20.