2023 NHL Draft Diary: Adam Fantilli

Adam Fantilli of the University of Michigan has been filing a draft diary for NHL.com this season leading up to the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 28-29. The 18-year-old freshman center (6-foot-2, 195 pounds), who was born in Nobleton, Ontario, is No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters presented by BioSteel. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top men's player in NCAA ice hockey this season after leading Division I men's hockey in points (65) and points per game (1.81) in 36 games.

Hello from the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo:

The week started with a bang since myself and three other prospects, Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and William Smith, were given the chance to attend Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final in Las Vegas (June 5). It was amazing to be able to get to know Smith and Carlson a little bit better. I've played with Connor quite a bit (at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship) and I've gotten to know him but get to know those other two prospects was awesome.

Going to Game 2 that the NHL put on was such an amazing show for us. Being able to see that kind of atmosphere in the Final was so cool, especially in Vegas. It's a pretty special city. On the morning of the game, they allowed us to go into the Vegas locker room after practice and we were able to meet quite a few of the Vegas players like Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Alex Pietrangelo, to name a few. All those guys were nice enough to take some time out of their game day routines and talk to us a little bit. I thought it was really special to be able to talk to those guys and get their opinions and advice.

We arrived in Buffalo for the Scouting Combine on Tuesday around 5 or 6 o'clock and had a little dinner where we got to mingle with some other players. It was nice to get to get to know a few more prospects that I might not have had a personal connection with. We then returned to the hotel, hit the sheets and in the morning woke up and started our NHL club interviews on Wednesday.

I interviewed with 11 teams, including Anaheim (which has the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft) and Columbus (No. 3). My teammate at Michigan, forward Gavin Brindley, was my roommate so the second I saw him I gave him a big hug because I hadn't seen him since our season ended at Michigan.

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I did not test at the combine since I didn't have time to prepare after coming off a plane from Finland after winning a gold medal with Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. If I were to test, I would want to be at my best and I want to be able to compete and show the best numbers possible. I don't think I would have been able to do that.

My combine experience was great and NHL Central Scouting and the city of Buffalo put on a great event. The amount of interviews and tests they put the guys through is definitely helpful for a lot of the teams with the amount of numbers they're able to extract. The way they put it on is first class. They put us up in a nice hotel, and we're able to walk two minutes, get our interviews done and then walk to get the testing done so the way they put it on was amazing.

My plan now is to go back home to Nobleton, Ontario, for a few days and then I'm flying out to Lake Louise, Alberta, for my cousin's wedding since I'm in her wedding party. I'm going to celebrate that with her and am really excited for it. I'll return home after that for three more days before heading to Nashville for the 2023 NHL Draft. I have about 120-plus people coming out to support me there. The Brindley's are bringing quite a few people, as well, so we'll have a bit of a party. The Michigan coaching staff is all invited, too.

I will wait until after the NHL Draft before making a decision on whether or not I will return to Michigan for 2023-24.

Obviously, losing in the semifinal round against Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four left a bitter taste in my mouth because I wanted to win that game and the game after that to win the national championship. I think my decision on whether I'll return to Michigan has nothing to do with unfinished business. It's more about development and being able to mature as a person.

Obviously, I want to have another chance to win a national title because I hated not being able to do that. But, next year for me, would be all about development (if returning to Michigan).

Thanks for reading. My final diary will be after my experience at the draft in Nashville. I can't wait.