Prospect Profiles: Fantilli posted historic production at Michigan

The NHL draft lottery is May 8, with the Blue Jackets -- who finished with the second-worst record in the league -- guaranteed a top-four pick, including a 13.5-percent chance at No. 1 overall.

With that in mind, BlueJackets.com is taking this week to profile five players -- Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov and Will Smith -- who will be in the mix to be chosen by the Jackets wherever they fall.

Of course, everyone has different opinions about the draft, and these five players aren't guaranteed to be at the top of the list being produced by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and his scouting staff. But in looking around at pre-draft projections, Bedard, Carlsson, Fantilli, Michkov and Smith generally are seen by draft observers as the cream of the crop of this year's very deep class, as well as players who all will be high-end NHLers in the years to come.

The other profiles can be ready below

Connor Bedard | Leo Carlsson | Matvei Michkov | Will Smith

Adam Fantilli: The Vitals

Position: Center

Age:18 (Born Oct. 12, 2004)

Height/Weight: 6-2, 195

Hometown:Toronto, Ontario

The Accomplishments

• Ranked the No. 2 North American skater available by NHL Central Scouting after posting a 30-35-65 line in 36 games with the University of Michigan, leading the nation in goals, points and points per game.
• His 1.81 points per game were the most in college hockey since Kyle Connor had 1.87 at U-M in 2017.
• Became the third freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey, joining Paul Kariya and Jack Eichel. Also was named the top freshman in NCAA hockey and a first-team All-American.
• Earned Big Ten tournament MVP, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten honors.
• Made the USHL All-Star Team in 2021-22 with Chicago after placing seventh in the league with 74 points (37 goals, 37 assists) in 54 games. Those 74 points tie him with Connor for the most ever in the USHL for someone in his draft minus-one season.
• Was named the MVP of the USHL's Clark Cup championship playoffs in 2020-21 after posting eight goals in eight postseason games for Chicago at age 16.
• Recorded a 2-3-5 line in seven games with the gold medal-winning Canada squad at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Was an alternate captain for Team Canada at the 2022 Under-18 World Championship, posting 1-5-6 in four games.

The Hype

To begin … just look at that list of accomplishments above.

Any way you slice it, Fantilli is one of the most productive players in years to come through the USHL and college hockey, producing numbers that all but guarantee he'll be a standout offensive performer in the NHL for years to come.

Add in his size and compete level, and Fantilli projects as the prototypical power forward, a big center the likes of which NHL teams can't help but covet. And given his skill set, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him go off the board as early as the No. 2 pick in the June NHL draft.

CBJ Radio · The Pipeline Podcast: Draft Lottery Preview with Chris Peters

"Fantilli is the kind of player teams are desperate for -- skilled size," FloHockey analyst Chris Peters wrote of Fantilli in his midseason evaluation. "While the league continues to go more towards skill, players that have size, strength, physicality and speed will always get longer looks than their smaller counterparts. In Fantilli's case, he's also one of the best offensive performers in this draft class.

"There's an aggressiveness and tenacity in Fantilli's game that can overpower the opposition and lead to him winning a lot of battles and one-on-one plays. He's most dangerous around the net and he gets there with regularity. His ability to drive to the middle of the ice may be one of his biggest separating factors among other centers in this class."

Watch: Youtube Video

The University of Michigan is no stranger to producing NHL-ready players -- just look at Columbus' Kent Johnson, Seattle's Matty Beniers and Buffalo's Owen Power, all of whom finished in the top eight in scoring among NHL rookies this past season.

Yet Fantilli's college production outpaces them all, including a 5-4-9 line in five postseason (Big Ten and NCAA tournament) games for Michigan. In all, he had two hat tricks in his freshman season with the Wolverines, five more two-goal games, and five four-point contests.

There's no shying away from the physicality in his game, as well, including the fact he was suspended from a game during his freshman season for engaging in a fight against rival Michigan State. Add in high-level skating ability, his penchant for winning faceoffs and his willingness to kill penalties and Fantilli is a well-rounded prospect defined by a will to win.

He also could be a player who is ready to make the leap to the NHL next season, providing immediate help to whichever team drafts him.

"I think it's extremely difficult for an 18-year-old to play in that league, but I believe he can do it," Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato

said on a recent episode of the NHL Draft Class podcast, produced by NHL.com

. "I think everyone's path is different. Adam needs to do what's best for him. I'll give him my thoughts at that time and I don't think it's never wrong to be overripe, but I think Adam can handle it with his skill set and type of person that he is."