Adam Fantilli Would Be No Consolation Prize for the Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks missed out on the No. 1 pick in Monday's NHL draft lottery. But Adam Fantilli could be as good of a No. 2 choice as they could hope for.

In 2005, the Anaheim Ducks were in the final two of the NHL draft lottery, where the fate of a generational talent would be determined. Fast forward 18 years, and they were again in the final two teams, waiting to see if they would get the No. 1 pick and draft a potential franchise player.

Both times, they ended up with the No. 2 pick.

The Ducks picked winger Bobby Ryan in 2005 after Sidney Crosby went first. Ryan ended up being a very good player with four 30-goal seasons but never really turned into the kind of star that changed the Ducks franchise.

In 2023, they could have the franchise-altering talent they dreamed of in Adam Fantilli.

The University of Michigan star has been nothing short of spectacular. He won the Hobey Baker as the NCAA’s best player, putting up one of the best college seasons in NCAA history for a draft-eligible player. His 1.81 points per game were behind only Paul Kariya since 1990. He led the nation with 65 points, outpacing last year’s No. 2 pick Logan Cooley by five points in fewer games.

Fantilli’s college season ended last month in the Frozen Four, but he isn’t finished solidifying his stance as the No. 2 player in one of the best draft classes in recent memory. He’s on Team Canada at the men’s World Championship in Latvia, which is a chance to see Fantilli against NHL talent and some of the best pro players worldwide.

NCAA players are challenged physically as the college ranks have skaters getting into their physical primes in their early 20s. Fantilli showed he is more than capable of meeting that challenge, manhandling smaller players along the boards and pushing around established NCAA players all over the ice. His 6-foot-2 frame is sturdy, hard to push off the puck, and challenging to deal with when you have it.

The power from his frame is equally essential to his impressive mobility. His skating stride and agility that he can weave into his movement is a logistic nightmare for defenders. Much like an NFL running back or a driving power forward in the NBA, Fantilli can pick up speed and attack with his shoulder down, barreling downhill on defenders. Just when he gets them on their heels, Fantilli has the agility on his edges to cut to the middle or the patience to down-shift his speed.

One of the few knocks on Fantilli seems to be that his pure skill level isn’t quite as high as others in the draft class. Still, the more you dig into his game, it becomes evident it isn’t exactly true. Fantilli seems to understand when and where to bust out the high-skill moves and when to use his other tools far better than most prospects at this stage of development. When a player has the skill but doesn’t rely on it, it becomes much more effective.

Power. Speed. Skill.

Being elite in one or two of those areas could ensure a player has a long NHL career. Having all three could mean a player is on the cusp of stardom. When you factor in those traits with incredible processing speed and cerebral intelligence at both ends of the ice, you get a franchise-altering talent.

Simply put, Fantilli is a franchise-altering talent. He approaches the game with calmness amid chaos. While he constantly goes 100 miles per hour, Fantilli can slow the game down and see everything happening. He predicts what his opponents will do with a high degree of success, consistently exploiting what he’s given.

He can play in any situation, whether he’s asked to step up and be a star as he was at Michigan or play lower in the lineup and drive play the way he did at the World Junior Championship. While some viewed the five points in seven games at the world juniors as an underwhelming output, especially compared to Bedard’s tournament-leading 23 points, Fantilli was better than the stat line would suggest.

With no power-play time, primarily fourth-line minutes at 5-on-5 and playing out of position on the wing, Fantilli still managed to generate offensive chances and impact the game away from the scoresheet. He was excellent defensively, suppressing shots and chances as good or better than anyone on the Canadian U-20 team. Transporting the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone was also a strength.

Although he and his teammates didn’t always cash in on his chances, Fantilli did everything you’d want him to do. He got to the middle of the ice, attacked the slot, found teammates in ideal positions and played a responsible game.

That said, the only draft-eligible forwards that outscored Fantilli for the Canadian U-20 squad over the last decade are Connor Bedard, Alexis Lafreniere and Connor McDavid. The “worst” part of Fantilli’s season was still pretty great when taken in context.

When he returned from the WJC, Fantilli took the NCAA by storm. With 38 points in the final 19 games for Michigan, Fantilli pulled away in the scoring race by putting up two points per game in the second half of the year. This surge from January to April secured the Hobey Baker trophy for Fantilli.

One of the most intriguing developments over the year has been the confidence and feistiness that Fantilli has shown. Prior to the season, he set his sights on being the top player drafted, knowing full well who he was going up against.

Against rival Michigan State this season, Fantilli was thrown out of a game for fighting after the whistle. On his way off the ice, Fantilli gestured to the Michigan State crowd asking him to let him hear it. No one is going to question his intensity.

Connor Bedard may be the draft’s most exciting and impressive offensive talent, but Adam Fantilli is the class’s most complete player. While Bedard may wind up being a 50-goal, 110-point high-octane forward, Fantilli has the potential to settle in as a 40-goal, 100-point center who does it all at both ends of the ice. The comparison between the two will last for much of their careers.

Although Fantilli may go second overall to the Ducks, he isn’t a consolation prize. He’s a game-changer.