NHL draft: Flyers make a trade and continue to bulk up on Day 2 with Carter Amico and Shane Vansaghi

ATLANTIC CITY — After a productive first day of the NHL draft, the Flyers got to work early on Saturday with a trade.

The team had seven picks on the day and added depth and height to a system that could use both across the board.

» READ MORE: Flyers draft: Grading the Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt picks

No. 38: Carter Amico, RHD, USNTDP

The Flyers traded No. 36 in the second round and the 68th overall pick in the third round for Nos. 38 and 57 in the second round.

With their first pick in the second round, the Flyers selected U.S. national team development program defenseman Carter Amico. He only played a total of 17 games this season after sustaining a major knee injury (fractured kneecap) in November that needed two surgeries to be corrected.

“Everything is great,” Amico said of his knee on Saturday via Zoom, noting he will be back on the ice next week.

A huge blueliner at 6-foot-6, 231 pounds, Amico skates well and notes his physicality. He compares his game to Alex Vlasic and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Seth Jones.

“He was high on our list,” amateur scout Shane Fukushima said. “He’s a massive body that missed the majority of the year; I think if that had not happened, he would have been selected higher in the draft. We feel that the upside is high and he’s just scratching the surface.”

Amico said at the NHL scouting combine his meeting with the Flyers was “unreal,” adding “it was really good, lot of good small talk.” He will be attending Boston University in the fall.

No. 40: Jack Murtagh, C/LW, USNTDP

Joining Amico at BU in the fall will be his newest Flyers teammate, Murtagh. This past season, the New York native put up 53 points (22 goals, 31 assists) in 56 games for the program and another 18 in 24 United States Hockey League games.

Murtagh skated for the U.S. at the recent Under-18 World Championships, posting two goals and six points in seven games for the bronze-medal winners.

“Really likable player,” Fukushima said. “His two-way game, good compete to go with the scoring ability. We really believe his game translates to the pro level.”

Like Porter Martone, Murtagh compares his game to Matthew Tkachuk. Listed at 6-1 and just under 200 pounds, the 17-year-old (his birthday is in August) is comfortable playing down the middle or on the wing and is called an explosive winger by Elite Prospects.

He said via Zoom that he likes to watch Owen Tippett, a fellow power forward, is a “high-end workhorse,” and is looking forward to being close to home and playing for the Flyers.

No. 48: Shane Vansaghi, RW, Michigan State (NCAA)

The moment Vansaghi opened his mouth in Buffalo at the combine, there was no doubt he was meant to be a Flyer.

“I play one way and one way only, and it’s big and physical, and it’s a hard-nosed game, and it’s in your face, and I’m not going to change the way I play,” he said at the beginning of June.

» READ MORE: Five things to know about Porter Martone, who has a Flyers poster on his wall and hockey in his blood

And yes, he is gritty.

“I embrace that. That’s my identity. I feel like that’s kind of one of my strengths, is having that gritty skill, having the hard skill, and having that skill that comes out when you’re under pressure and you don’t have a whole lot of time or space,” added Vansaghi, a St. Louis native.

“So, yeah, I love to get in people’s faces. I love to make it hard, and love to get involved with the game inside the game, you know, the extracurricular activities maybe after the whistle.”

In the combine testing, the right winger finished 20th in VO2, 12th in the no-arm vertical jump (19.29 inches), fifth in the 50% body weight bench press, tied for second in pullups (15), and set high marks in both the left and right hand grip tests.

A teammate of Karsen Dorwart at Michigan State, he skated in the Spartans’ bottom six as a freshman and made an impression with six goals and 16 points in 37 regular-season games.

And how does he feel about being a Flyer now?

“Oh, it’s unbelievable,” he said via Zoom on Saturday. ”I fully embrace the type of player that I am, the big power forward, and bring some nastiness and bring some grit to the lineup every night. I think that opens a lot of space for me with the puck later in the game.

“I think if I can buy into that and fully believe in myself and my abilities, I think — of course it’s a long road ahead and there’s this long process to get to the NHL — but I think getting drafted by the Flyers is going to be a good fit for me.”

» READ MORE: Flyers trade with Penguins to move up and draft massive center Jack Nesbitt at No. 12

No. 57: Matthew Gard, C, Red Deer (WHL)

A Manitoban, Gard had 19 goals, 36 points, and 81 penalty minutes in 66 regular-season games for the Alberta-based Rebels. He played at the U18s for Canada, adding another goal and four points in seven games for the gold-medal winners.

Fitting in with the apparent theme of the day, the center is 6-5, 194, and plays a 200-foot game. . Dobber Prospects label Gard as lanky “with good hands and playmaking in open space,” adding that he “drives the net, finishes his checks, and projects as a strong bottom-six piece.”

“Excellent size. ... Rangy, skates well, like the hockey IQ on both sides of the puck with a fine compete level and got better throughout the year,” Flyers amateur scout Mark Greig said. “Also has versatility playing center and wing.”

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No. 132: Max Westergård, LW/RW, Frölunda (J20 Nationell)

Westergård, the first draftee by the Flyers under 6-1 — he is listed at 5-11, 168 — had an interesting season. The Finn spent the majority of it with Frölunda’s U20 team, notching 50 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 41 games.

But he did play games with the U18 squad before playing four of his final five regular-season games with Frölunda’s top squad in the SHL (Sweden’s top men’s league). He then skated in 11 playoff games, collecting a goal and three points.

“He’s a talented kid. ... He’s quick, he’s got skill,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr said. “He can create offense by himself, so yeah, at that point we thought it was a value pick.”

According to Elite Prospects, he’s a speedy and “a productive two-way winger whose offense flows through his off-puck instincts and ability to anticipate. He shows a strong inside drive in all situations, which helps his teammates, too, as he can give them space behind him. He goes in first in battles and is relentless in his will to win the puck.”

It is worth noting that Westergård is the second 17-year-old selected by the Flyers in the draft. His birthday isn’t until Sept. 3. Westergård is of Kenyan heritage, as his mother hails from the East African country.

No. 157: Luke Vlooswyk, RHD, Red Deer (WHL)

Add another tall dude to the Flyers’ haul of draft picks. Vlooswyk, who hails from Calgary, Alberta, is listed at 6-5, 201. He is a shutdown defenseman for the Rebels.

“I think I’m a big, defensive defenseman. Defense is definitely the strong suit in my game,” he said via Zoom. “But I also think I can add offense with a booming shot from the blue. So, yeah, just a pretty versatile player.”

A teammate of Gard this past season, he had 17 points, 45 penalty minutes, and a plus-minus of plus-8 in 68 regular-season games in his first full season in the WHL.

The scouting report by Elite Prospects reads: “Defending the rush, Vlooswyk’s mobility, stick work, and instincts shine. He catches opponents with his feet moving after waiting for them to enter his space, never overextending. He excels at tying up opponents and taking them into the wall, immobilizing them and freeing possession.”

No. 164: Nathan Quinn, C, Quebec (QMJHL)

The final pick by the Flyers is listed at 5-11, 172. A center, he’s heading to Northeastern University in the fall after spending the past season and a half with the Quebec Ramparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

This season, he had 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 54 regular-season games before adding another goal and three points in four playoff games.

“A net-driver, Quinn creates space in the slot with his body, taking the inside lane to the goalie to catch passes and fire,” according to Elite Prospects. “He can pass the puck off the boards and spot teammates in space across the ice and behind him, relaying them the puck to expand the attack and generate higher-quality looks.”

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