Yesterday, there was a top 10 25-and-under forwards list for keep leagues.
This list was put out by NHL Fantasy, helping fantasy hockey players pick the best under-25 forwards in the NHL. The issue is, one of the best forwards under 25 years old was left off.
Even after a strong season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are still getting overlooked around the NHL, and Adam Fantilli is no exception.
Fantilli, who is by far one of the best forwards under 25, somehow was left off a top 10 list. This has many fans, but especially Blue Jackets fans, questioning the validity of the list.
The top 10 consists of:
- Macklin Celebrini
- Connor Bedard
- Jack Hughes
- Wyatt Johnson
- Matvei Michkov
- Tim Stützle
- Cole Caufield
- Dylan Guenther
- Ivan Demidov
- Will Smith
There is no question that any of the players listed above belong on the list. They are some of the best players in the league. However, if they were going to leave off Fantilli, among others, then they should have done a top 15.
Now, I'm not going to name specific players that he is better than because that leads to arguments among fan bases. But there are a few players that Fantilli should have beaten on this list.
Fantilli, 20, has 43 goals and 38 assists for 81 points in 131 games over two seasons. He has more points than five players on this list. He also had more points through his first two seasons than three of the five players that have more career points than him.
So why exactly was he left off?
Well, there really isn't an obvious reason. At just 20 years old, he's one of the future stars on an up-and-coming team that very well could be a playoff team this season and for years to come. Additionally, he gets to play with other future stars like Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko.
So, if you are doing a fantasy keep league and you want to draft a player that's under 25, don't overlook Fantilli as one of the best young stars in the game.
