Michigan State's Eric Nilson, right, Shane Vansaghi, left, and Ryker Lee celebrate Nilson's goal against Colgate, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in East Lansing.Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State JournalThu, December 4, 2025 at 1:49 AM UTC·4 min readThe stat sheet doesn't always show it, but Shane Vansaghi is the type of player every team in college hockey would love to have.
Michigan State's sophomore forward is big, physical, smart, skilled and consistent. And he makes winning plays all over the ice.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEvery elite team has a player like Vansaghi.
MSU coach Adam Nightingale is well aware of Vansaghi's importance to the No. 3-ranked Spartans (11-3, 4-2 Big Ten), who are preparing for a huge rivalry series with No. 1 Michigan this weekend.
"Shane's been really good, he's an everyday guy. You know exactly what you're going to get from him," Nightingale said. "He's a winning person and a winning player. He's been a little bit snake-bitten when you look at the points or whatever, but he's been about as consistent a forward as we've had."
The offensive numbers don't jump out. He had six goals and 10 assists in 37 games as a freshman and has a goal and five assists so far this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut Vansaghi's overall progress has been noticeable. He's a looming presence for opposing defensemen with his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame patrolling on the forecheck. He's strong with the puck and along the boards and his physical play creates room for his linemates to operate.
Those traits are why the Philadelphia Flyers made Vansaghi a second-round pick (No. 48 overall) in last summer's NHL draft.
And now the points may be starting to come. He has four assists in his past four games and he set up goals with three primary assists in the Spartans' sweep of Colgate last week.
"He's physical, he's gotten a step faster, and he's got a lot more stamina this year," Nightingale said. "He's a huge part of our team, and it was good to see him get rewarded. He has made some high-end plays for us."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe uptick in offense has coincided with Vansaghi starting to skate over the past four games on a line with freshman forwards Ryker Lee and Eric Nilson. The chemistry was immediate and the trio was MSU's best forward group during the Colgate series.
"They are two great linemates to have, and it's a blessing to be playing with them," Vansaghi said. "I think we are a very hard line to play against. If we can continue to keep buying into our identity, I think we'll end up being really good."
Vansaghi especially seems to be a good fit with Lee – the ultra-skilled, exceptionally creative wing who thrives in open space. The two were both selected to Team USA's preliminary roster for the upcoming World Juniors Tournament and both are expected to be a part of the final squad. Nilson will likely be an opponent in that tournament as he's expected to be part of Sweden's U-20 team.
"(Vansaghi) doesn't get enough credit for how smart a player he is," Lee said. "Obviously, everyone sees how hard he works and the physical specimen he is. He sees the ice really well and makes some incredible plays for us, so it's been really fun skating with him these past few games."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPrior to the two games against Colgate, Vansaghi's other big offensive series came in the season's second weekend in a high-profile sweep of then-No. 1 Boston University.
Michigan State's Shane Vansaghi, left, and Colgate's Daniel Penetta battle along the boards, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in East Lansing.Vansaghi scored his only goal in the first game against the Terriers and then picked up a memorable assist the next night in overtime. Within the span of a few seconds, Vansaghi prevented BU from scoring the winning goal when he swept a trickling puck off the goal line at the last instant and that desperation swipe turned into a perfect pass off the boards to Lee, starting a 2-on-1 break the other way that ended in Matt Basgall's game-winning goal.
"I skated all the way down the ice, tracking hard to the net, and when I saw the puck on the goal line, instincts took over," Vansaghi remembered. "I just whacked at it, tried to get it out of our zone, and hoped it didn't cross the goal line. That was a big win for us early in the season."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJust another winning play by Vansaghi.
He and the rest of the Spartans host Michigan (15-3, 6-2 Big Ten) at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 (Big Ten Network) at Munn Ice Arena. The two teams play again the next night at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor at 7 p.m.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at [email protected] and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Forward Shane Vansaghi a 'winning player' for No. 3 MSU hockey
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