Shayne Gostisbehere's pitchman routine worked.
The Flyers on Friday signed 24-year-old centerman Mike Vecchione, a teammate of Ghost at Union College, to a one-year contract worth $925,000.
He will join the Flyers immediately and is expected to play out the final five games of the season.
"I was honest with him and told him about us … I'm excited he picked us," Gostisbehere said.
Vecchione, who was the ECAC player of the year, had a short list of clubs that reportedly included the Flyers, Rangers and Tampa Bay.
The Bruins were hoping to land him because Vecchione is a resident of Saugus, Mass.
Because he is 24, Vecchione can only sign for one year. He will, however, be a restricted free agent after the season, allowing the Flyers to re-sign him.
At 5-foot-10, he is another undersized forward, much like Travis Konecny and Jordan Weal, but he has established a reputation for playing above his size.
He led Union College with 29 goals this season and is a Hobey Baker finalist. His 1.66 points per game average was tied with Northeastern forward Zach Aston-Reese for highest average in the NCAA.
He is the Dutchmen's all-time leading scorer with 175 points and also holds the assist record with 104.
"He's a great two-way guy," Gostisbehere said. "He goes to the dirty areas. He's so reliable defensively and has the skill to put the puck in the back of the net. He can make the play. He's an all-situation guy."
Vecchione, Aston-Reese and Denver defenseman Will Butcher are the three Baker finalists as the top collegian in the country.
Vecchione is represented by Mark Toof, an agent with Lewis Gross' firm, SPM. Gross represented John LeClair during his playing days.
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