Whenever there is one prospect who is seen to be above all the rest and a surefire first overall selection, the other players tend to be overlooked. It’s not Adam Fantilli’s fault that he happened to be born in the same draft year as Connor Bedard and overlook him at your own peril: Fantilli is without a doubt one of the best draft prospects we have seen in years.
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario
Date of birth: October 12, 2004
Shoots: Left
Position: Centre
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 187 lbs.
Team: University of Michigan (NCAA)
Fantilli’s production in his freshman year at the University of Michigan was outstanding. In fact, according to Pick224.com, he was the most productive NCAA player in his draft year since at least 2008, when their data starts. His 30 goals and 35 assists (65 points) in 36 games (1.81 points per game) was a higher per-game rate than Jack Eichel (1.78) in his draft year.
His draft year outlook is similar to Eichel, which is ironic because Eichel was seen as the second-best prospect in his draft year behind Connor McDavid, the sure-fire first overall pick.
While Michigan had a great team that made it all the way to the National Championship game, Fantilli led the team in scoring by 17 points over Luke Hughes. He has also produced at every step of his hockey career, having one of the best USHL seasons for an underager as well as being named playoff MVP in his first season after scoring eight goals in eight games.
He won the Hobey Baker Award as NCAA player of the year, and played with Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship. His five goals in seven games for a draft-eligible player would be more noteworthy if it weren’t for Bedard’s record-setting tournament. In that tournament, Fantilli played more of a depth role for Canada, but stepped up and improved as the tournament went on.
Everything in Fantilli’s profile screams future number-one centre. He has the size and skill mix plus the production that shows he can put it all together. His skill profile includes some top-level puck handling allowing him to beat defenders at ease. If the puck ends up along the boards or in the corners, Fantilli won’t shy away from that, either.
He’s not just a distributor and a deker, though. His shot is very solid and he is a threat from anywhere on the ice. It’s not going to be his calling card, but teams will have to defend it whenever he has the puck and he has the vision to take advantage of whatever the team gives him. He can also play and make elite decisions at high speed, which adds to his outlook as he moves up levels.
One thing that is apparent when you watch Fantilli is that he almost always has his head up and scans what is going on around him before he even makes his first touch of the puck. This allows him to react quickly when he does touch it and makes him extremely hard to defend when he retrieves the puck or carries it in.
He is also very solid defensively, and teams will not have any hesitation to play him at centre in the NHL. He’s not an elite defender, but he can improve in that area and has shown the ability to play at both ends at the ice in the NCAA.
His defensive game wasn’t really tested very much because he had the puck so often but his awareness and ability to scan works as much when his team doesn’t have the puck as when they do have it.
College hockey is typically skewed towards older players, and only those who are elite can dominate at a young age. Fantilli has shown that ability through is first – and likely only – NCAA season.
Fantilli’s production is rivalled only by Matt Coronato in terms of getting into dangerous areas for shots and helping teammates get chances through his passing.
It’s somewhat fitting that the NHL Draft Lottery awards two picks to teams that win the lottery because any team that has the chance to pick Fantilli will be thrilled, even if they don’t end up with the first pick. In any other year, we’d be talking about how Fantilli would be fighting for the first overall pick.
Make no mistake: after the initial disappointment of not winning the #1 pick, whichever team wins the #2 pick will have plenty to celebrate.
It would have taken an unbelievable season for Fantilli to either remotely challenge Bedard, and Fantilli did have one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen for a player his age in the NCAA. Bedard is not going to be challenged at #1, but it’s not because of anything Fantilli didn’t do. In another year, the focus would be on Fantilli being a potential first overall pick.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #2
Elite Prospects: #2
FCHockey: #2
Hockey Prospect: #4
Hadi Kalakeche: #2
McKeen’s: #2
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #2
NHL Central Scouting: #2 (North American skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic) #3
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #2
Fantilli is not the only player to consider at second overall. He will face challenges from Leo Carlsson, who had a similarly unprecedented season in the SHL, and potentially Matvei Michkov if it were based on on-ice projection only. He is definitely seen as the consensus #2, without taking anything away from the other players in the conversation.
The ability for Fantilli to come into a situation a little unheralded compared to Bedard may help him. The expectation is that he will turn professional for whatever team drafts him, although which team makes the selection may change that.
Seeing players like Owen Power, Matty Beniers, and Kent Johnson make the adjustment to professional hockey quickly after leaving the University of Michigan will just give him more confidence whenever he does turn pro.
Patrik Bexell
