2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profiles: Shane Vansaghi and Ben Kevan

Upside Hockey's NHL Draft profile series: American Edition Volume 8 and 9

Upside Hockey’s prolific prospect profiler Trevor Curtis’s 2025 NHL draft eligible prospect profiles are all featured on our dedicated page for this with all featured prospects indexed in our table of contents alphabetically by last name. For the 2024 NHL Draft, we had well over 200 prospect profiles completed.

RW Shane Vansaghi (6'2", 216lbs)

Michigan St. (NCAA): 20gp/ 2g/ 9a/ 11pts, +7, 18 PIM.

In 2023-24, on a star-studded NTDP team, RW Shane Vansaghi wasn't able to distinguish himself much, and wasn't really considered to be a prospect of note. Things have changed, as he's been impressive as an 18 year-old (with an October, 2006 birthday) in his freshman year of college, posting respectable numbers and imposing his will physically every game, despite not playing big minutes. Vansaghi is a two-way, all-situations power-forward who is unrelentingly physical, with boundless motor. He is hard to handle on the forecheck as he hits not only for tactical reasons, but also to wear his opponents down and punish them. He's an unstoppable force along the boards, an immoveable object in front of the net, and a bull in a China shop down low. He separates man from puck, constantly wins inside position, and hits like a human wrecking ball- players on the other team know when he's on the ice. His game is hard and heavy, and scouts say it's NHL-translatable.

Vansaghi isn't just another brute, he's actually quite smart, showing good vision, timing, and anticipation. He also has slick puck-skills, and the tight protection ability to deke around defenders on occasion- he can bull his way through traffic, or carry with confidence for short distances. There's flashes of a rather skilled playmaking game developing in his repertoire, and he can pass under sticks or through traffic every once in a while. When in shooting position, he has a pretty decent arsenal at his disposal, but he hasn't been a big goal-scoring threat in college as of yet with only 2 goals. Even still, the front of the net is his office, and he will crash the crease looking for loose pucks, or park himself there to screen the goalie and fish for tips and rebounds. Vansaghi shows superb defensive engagement, and keen awareness in his own zone, displaying the same high energy on the backcheck as he exhibits on the forecheck. He skates very north-south routes through the neutral zone and doesn't hold on to the puck for too long, instead relying on the give-and-go to support his team in transition. The main reason for this might be his deficient mobility...

Vansaghi's boots are rather heavy, his stride is a bit clunky and stiff, and his stance is upright and awkward; still, he manages to play with pace-even against men in the NCAA. He keeps his feet moving, and works incredibly hard to compensate somewhat for his lack of speed, but he can't separate in open ice right now, and his acceleration is sub-par. If he can get his skating up to snuff, he's got a high NHL floor as he can play in all situations. Vansaghi has tons of potential, and some tools that scouts like- I think he'll be drafted in the first half of the second round of this summer's Draft.

RW Ben Kevan (6'0", 183lbs)

Des Moines (USHL): 21gp/ 8g/ 16a/ 24pts, +2, 23 PIM.

Down in the USHL, the Des Moines Buccaneers are sitting right now in 12 place (out of 16 teams) in the standings, and are 4th-worst in goals-for. Their struggles make the fact that RW Ben Kevan (who the Bucs selected 5th-overall in the 2023 USHL Futures Draft) is 5th in ppg in that league for players who have played 20+ games even more impressive. Despite missing 9 games so far, he is still second in scoring for Des Moines, and the only player on the team with over a ppg. In December's World Junior A Championship, he was one of the best players in the tournament with 8 points in 5 games, and placed 2nd-overall in goals, with 6. He also showed well in the 2024 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for a Team USA that didn't bring all of their firepower, with 3 points in 5 games. I'm a big fan of this player- he's a fiery competitor, well-rounded, and can play in all situations. Central Scouting gave him a "B" rating, indicating a potential 2nd, or 3rd-round pick.

Though he showed his goal-scoring side at the WJAC, Kevan is known as a playmaker above all else, with with superb vision, IQ, and passing skill with sharp timing. He often finds teammates in open space for advantageous passes through traffic, over and under sticks, and through triangles. He exhibits strong anticipation and awareness, as well as intelligent positioning to exploit open space in the offensive zone, and he sees passing seams that few others can see. Kevan goes hard to the slot for second-chance opportunities, and he owns soft hands in-tight, as well as an underrated shot that he should be using more often. With his remarkable puck-skill and the protection ability he wields even at full stride, it's quite difficult to pick his pockets; he can dangle through traffic, and has an advanced deception game to fool his opponents into going one way, while he goes another. While he is not elite in the speed department, he's still an excellent skater- which makes him hard to stop on the rush, and gives him an advantage on the forecheck. He can push pace, and along with his 1-on-1 prowess, he can challenge defenders, and sometimes beat them wide. His first-step quickness is outstanding, and he get up to full speed very rapidly, but he also keeps his feet moving and stays active in order make the opposing team shift positions to open space. In transition, he shows his worth as a play-driver- making a high number of controlled exits and entries.

Kevan plays a chippy physical game, and often seems to be in the middle of every scrum; he throws hits not only to dislodge pucks, but also to agitate. He wins battles aplenty along the boards, and in the corners. I think of him as player with a high motor and an elevated workrate with good defensive engagement, but there are peaks and valleys on occasion in his focus and effort in all three zones. These lapses can last a shift, but according to some scouting reports, they can occupy larger portions of time. When he's on, he displays exemplary positioning and employs a smart, well-timed stick to disrupt plays, lift sticks, and intercept passes. He's normally a well-rounded performer, which will potentially give him a high NHL-floor, but he could turn out to be a middle-6 winger in the big leagues. Kevan is committed to Arizona State in 2026-27, and I think he'll be taken in the second round of the 2025 Draft.