COLUMBUS -- How’s this for a happy birthday?
Adam Fantilli will turn 19 on Thursday and make his NHL debut when the Columbus Blue Jackets play the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSOH, NBCSP).
“I’m super excited,” the center said Wednesday. “Obviously, there’s a lot of emotions going on. All the guys have been great, trying to get me ready and give me all the tips and tricks and stuff. But when it comes down to it, I’ve still got to play hockey. I’ve got to play the best I can and just try to have fun. You only get one first game, so I’m going to try to enjoy it too.”
Fantilli is key to the future of the Blue Jackets, who have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past three seasons and finished 31st in the 32-team NHL last season.
He had 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) in 36 games as a freshman at the University of Michigan in 2022-23, winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey. He also had five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games at the IIHF World Junior Championship and three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 games at the IIHF World Championship, helping Canada win gold in each tournament.
Columbus selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
“He’s a horse,” said Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who skates with Fantilli in the offseason. “He kind of reminds me a little bit of Jack when I skated with him on different teams with [USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program]. He’s got a frame that’s NHL ready and the skills to go with it.”
Larkin was referring to Jack Eichel.
Interesting comparison. Fantilli is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. Eichel is 6-2, 207. Eichel had 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists) in 40 games as a freshman at Boston University in 2014-15, won the Hobey Baker, played for the United States in the world juniors and the world championship and was selected with the No. 2 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
Eichel had 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 81 games for the Sabres in 2015-16, finishing fourth in the voting for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the NHL rookie of the year. He went on to become a top two-way center and win the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
Asked about Fantilli, Eichel said: “I’m sure in his mind he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to go out and perform this year, and he’s going to do that because he’s an elite player, and that’s what guys like him do, and that’s why he was drafted as high as he was. But [he should] just enjoy his experience. Make sure he’s having fun with it every day going to the rink, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Fantilli impressed in the preseason with four points (two goals, two assists) in four games. Late in the second period at the Washington Capitals on Saturday, he got rocked in the neutral zone by forward T.J. Oshie, falling backward, stick flying. But late in the third, he drove through traffic in the slot and scored the go-ahead goal in a 4-2 win.
“Nothing seems to faze him,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “He takes a hit from Oshie in the game, and he gets right back up. Doesn’t even think twice about it. Scores the winner.
“That’s pretty impressive for a kid that’s 18, turning 19 tomorrow. You don’t really find that too often, so I think that’s one thing that’s going to really help him this year through ups and downs, just being able to stay even keel and keep playing his game.”
It appears Fantilli will start out on the third line between forwards Justin Danforth and Kirill Marchenko and on the second power-play unit. But coach Pascal Vincent said the mindset is whichever line is on the ice is the first line, and Fantilli seems to have gotten the message.
“I’m coming in here to try to play my game,” Fantilli said. “I don’t want to change that. Whether that’s the first line, second line, fourth line, I’m trying to play my game. I don’t want to change anything about the way I play. I want to play responsible, but I also want to be able to play offensive and do what I know I can. So, I’m going to go into the game confident and try to have fun.”
Is he really turning 19 on Thursday, not, say, 29?
“He’s not a typical 18-year-old, very mature both mentally and physically, and he’s got a chip on his shoulder,” Vincent said. “He fits the DNA of what we’re looking to create for this team, for this organization. He’s got skills. He can skate. He’s a powerful skater. And his mindset is without any entitlement and a lot of confidence -- not cocky whatsoever but very confident about his ability and his future and where he fits here.”
