Carter Amico, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman from Westbrook, was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 38th overall pick of the NHL Draft on Saturday.

Considered an agile defenseman for his size, Amico spent the last two years playing for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program but appeared in only 17 games this past season because of a broken kneecap. He’s expected to play for Boston University this coming season.

Despite his injury setback, Amico was rated by most draft scouting services as a likely second-round pick. The Flyers selected him with the first of their four second-round choices.

“There are a lot of question marks on the table about what kind of player I am,” Amico told the Press Herald earlier this month. “Other than that, I feel like I’m in a good spot and I’m ready to play next year. The big thing is getting healthy, just getting back on the ice. I haven’t really skated in seven months. I just have to get healthy and make sure the knee is all good. That’s when you can start looking at what I need to do to get better.”

Earlier Saturday, Simon Wang became the highest-drafted player born in China when the San Jose Sharks selected him with the first pick of the second round.

Wang’s family moved from Beijing to Toronto when he was 12. The 6-foot-5 defenseman surged forward in his development over the past year, showing more than enough potential to entice the Sharks with the 33rd overall selection.

“It’s an unreal moment for my family, for hockey in China,” Wang said. “Just a really surreal moment, a dream-come-true moment. … I hope I’ve inspired a lot of kids back home.”

His real name is Haoxi Wang, but he plans to go by Simon during his hockey career because “it’s simpler for North Americans,” he said.

BRUINS: Growing up on Long Island, James Hagens wanted nothing more than to be selected by the team he grew up rooting for, the New York Islanders.

Though that dream failed to materialize at the NHL Draft on Friday night, the 18-year-old Boston College center was more than happy with the consolation. Hagens was selected seventh overall by the Bruins, and enjoyed the extra bonus of having his name announced by Adam Sandler.

“Just being on a team that wants you the most, I love Boston. I love the area,” he said after becoming the first U.S.-born player taken in this year’s draft. “It’s so special to have Adam Sandler make that pick. It’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”

It just so happens that Hagens lists his favorite movie as “Happy Gilmore,” which features Sandler as a former hockey player who turns his attention to golf.

Wearing a Bruins jersey, Sandler announced the pick on a video screen on the draft stage inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. As Hagens made his way up the aisle, Sandler could be seen celebrating on screen in the background.

Sandler was one of numerous celebrities to introduce selections, with the NHL going to a decentralized draft format in which its 32 teams made their picks from their own markets. That’s different from the past, when all teams gathered inside the same facility to make their picks.

At 5-foot-11, Hagens had 11 goals and 26 assists to finish fourth in points among college freshmen last season. He scored five goals for America’s gold medal-winning team at the world junior championships.

PANTHERS: Sam Bennett, the reigning Conn Smythe Award winner as playoff MVP of Florida’s most recent run to the Stanley Cup, signed an eight-year, $64 million deal to stay with Florida.

“I think we have a lot more success in our future,” Bennett said.

It’s not hard to envision that, given how the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions now have eight core players — Bennett, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling, Anton Lundell and Seth Jones — under contract through at least 2030.

TRADES: The Detroit Red Wings acquired John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, a trade of the veteran goaltender that could start the dominos falling around the NHL, with several teams looking for help in net.

Detroit sent backup goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Anaheim for Gibson, whose name has been in trade rumors for several years. No salary was retained.

“I’ve been assured he’s excited to come to Detroit, and we’re excited to have him,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said on NHL Network. “Our understanding was they have an excellent young goaltender in (Lukas) Dostal, and John was looking for a fresh start and saw an opportunity in Detroit to get in the net and play a lot of games.”

Gibson, 31, has spent his first 12 years in the league with Anaheim. He started 28 games last season, compared to 49 for Dostal, and he’s signed for two more years at a salary cap hit of $6.4 million.

• The Kings traded 24-year-old defenseman Jordan Spence to Ottawa for the 67th pick in Saturday’s draft and Colorado’s sixth-rounder in 2026.

• Buffalo sent defenseman Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Conor Timmins and Isaac Beliveau.

• Washington signed 23-year-old forward Justin Sourdif for $1.65 million over two years after sending a second-round pick to two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida for the minor leaguer with four games of NHL experience.