Adam Fantilli

Adamo Giuliano Fantilli (born October 12, 2004) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted third overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL entry draft. During his freshman season at the University of Michigan he was the leading goal and point-scorer and won the Hobey Baker Award, becoming the third freshman to win the award, after Paul Kariya in 1993 and Jack Eichel in 2015.

Playing career

Early years

Fantilli was drafted in the first round, 18th overall, by the Saginaw Spirit in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft. He was considered the top Canadian prospect in the draft, however, he had already committed to play for the Chicago Steel. On September 13, 2021, the Spirit exercised their defected player rule and traded Fantilli's OHL playing rights to the North Bay Battalion. Saginaw received a first-round pick, 19th overall, in the 2022 draft, one spot after the player was originally drafted, as compensation for the player failing to report to the team. They would have also received four conditional picks if Fantilli had ever played in the OHL.

Fantilli attended Kimball Union Academy where he recorded 18 goals and 18 assists in 25 games. On March 25, 2020, Fantilli signed a USHL tender agreement with the Chicago Steel for the 2020–21 season. During the regular season he recorded 18 goals and 18 assists in 49 games for the Steel and was named to the USHL All-Rookie Second Team. During the Clark Cup playoffs, he recorded eight goals and one assist in eight games to help lead his team to the Anderson Cup and Clark Cup. He was subsequently named the Clark Cup Playoffs MVP. During the 2021–22 season, he led the team in scoring and recorded 37 goals and 37 assists in 54 games. His 37 goals were the second-most in a single season in program history. His 74 points tied him with Kyle Connor for the most points by a player in their draft-minus-one season in USHL history. Following the season he was named to the All-USHL First Team.

Collegiate

In August 2021, Fantilli verbally committed to the University of Michigan. He began his collegiate career for the Michigan Wolverines during the 2022–23 season. He made his debut for Michigan on October 7, 2022, in a game against Lindenwood, where he won 15 of 19 faceoffs and recorded two assists. The next day, he scored his first career collegiate goal in a victory over Lindenwood. On October 21, he scored his first career hat-trick in a game against Lake Superior State. The next day, he scored a career-high four points with one goal and three assists, in a victory over Lake Superior State. He was subsequently named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the week ending October 24, after he recorded seven points during the weekend series. With 15 points over his first six games, he recorded the best start in program history since Bruno Baseotto had 19 points in his first six games in 1979. He was named the Hockey Commissioners Association Men's Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month for the month of October. In eight games, he recorded eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. He recorded at least one point in every game. He was named the Hockey Commissioners Association Men's Player of the Month for the month of January. In six games, he recorded five goals and nine assists for 14 points, and led the NCAA with 2.33 points per game. On February 24, 2023, Fantilli recorded his 50th point of the season, becoming the first player in the nation to reach the milestone. He became the first Wolverine player to record 50 points in a season since Cooper Marody had 51 points during the 2017–18 season. During the regular season he recorded 11 goals and 19 assists in 19 conference games for a league-best 1.58 points per game. Following an outstanding season, he was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, the All-Big Ten First Team and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

During the 2023 Big Ten men's ice hockey tournament he set the Big Ten tournament record for goals in a single tournament with seven and in points with 11. He was subsequently named the Big Ten Tournament MVP. He finished his freshman year with 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games. He led the nation in points, and goals, averaging 1.81 points-per-game, 0.83 goals-per-game and 0.98 assists-per-game. His 1.81 points-per-game average was the third-highest scoring mark behind only Johnny Gaudreau (2.00) and Kyle Connor (1.87). Following an outstanding season he was awarded the Tim Taylor Award, Hobey Baker Award and was named an AHCA West First Team All-American. He became the third freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, after Paul Kariya in 1993 and Jack Eichel in 2015.

Professional

Fantilli was drafted third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. On July 1, 2023, Fantilli signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets, forgoing the remainder of his college career.

Fantilli made his NHL debut on October 12, 2023, his 19th birthday, against the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored his first career NHL goal on October 21, 2023, as part of a 5–4 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild. During the 2023–24 season, as a rookie, he recorded 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games, before suffering a season-ending calf laceration on January 28, 2024, in a game against the Seattle Kraken.

On January 22, 2025, Fantilli scored his first NHL hat-trick in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fantilli who grew up about 40 minutes north of Toronto, had 70 family and friends in attendance for the game. His mother was the first person to throw her hat onto the ice following his hat-trick.

International play

Fantilli was part of the Canadian boys' team at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics where he served as alternate captain. During the tournament he recorded two goals and one assist in four games and won a bronze medal.

In 2022, Fantilli was named to Canada's national under-18 team at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he again served as alternate captain. He recorded one goal and five assists in four games before the team was knocked out in the quarterfinal stage. On December 12, 2022, he was named to Canada's national junior team at the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. During the tournament he recorded two goals and three assists in seven games, and won a gold medal.

On May 5, 2023, Fantilli was named to Canada's senior national team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. He scored the game-winning goal in the semi-final against Latvia, his first of the tournament. He finished the tournament with one goal and two assists and won a gold medal. He became the second Canadian to win gold at both the World Juniors and World Championship in the same year, after Jonathan Toews, and the 11th player to do so in the world. He was subsequently nominated for the inaugural IIHF Male Player of the Year award.

After missing the final months of the 2023–24 season with injury, Fantilli rejoined the senior national team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship. Citing his shortened professional season as a motive for competing, he said: "I have to get my game going. That's my concern." However, Fantilli was subsequently dropped from the roster in advance of the tournament, with the addition of a number of more experienced NHL players whose teams were ousted in the first round of the playoffs.

Personal life

Fantilli is the son of Giuliano and Julia Fantilli. His brother, Luca, also plays college ice hockey at Michigan. Fantilli is of Polish descent on his mother’s side, and of Italian descent on his father’s side

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantilli, Adam
2004 births
Living people
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
Canadian ice hockey forwards
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent
Chicago Steel players
Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Hobey Baker Award winners
Ice hockey players at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players
NHL first-round draft picks
Youth Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
Ice hockey people from Ontario
21st-century Canadian sportsmen