Columbus would love to draft Adam Fantilli

When the NHL Draft Lottery happened, Columbus Blue Jacket fans had high hopes, to either stay at #2, or even quite possibly move up to #1, neither of those things happened, they fell to 3rd. What did that mean? Well for starters, losing out on Connor Bedard, but equally as important was also losing out on UM star Adam Fantilli, or did they?

With the IIHF World Championships just wrapping up, CBJ fans had their eyes glued to as much of it as they could watch. They were watching two players, Adam Fantilli and Sweden's Leo Carlsson. The two prospects presumed to go numbers 2 and 3 in the draft. 

So how did Fantilli do? In 10 games played, he had 3 points, his only goal coming as a game winner to send Canada to the gold medal game. He also had a whopping 29 PIM in those 10 games, and managed to be a +3. Was 3 points in 10 games a bad look? Will he fall to 3 or stay at 2? Ducks fans want him that's for sure, and aren't even entertaining the idea of drafting anyone else. Leo Carlsson had more points than him in 2 less games. 

Now let's peer backwards, and look into his freshman season at Michigan. He won 8 different awards, everything from Big Ten Freshman of the year, to the Hobey Baker. In 36 games, he tallied 65 points. 30 of those points were goals. He threw in 67 PIM for good measure. I was in attendance for one game this season, when UM and Ohio State played in an outdoor game up in Cleveland at First Energy Stadium. A packed house of 45,523 watched as the Buckeyes took down Michigan 4-2. Fantilli assisted on a goal, but other than that, there was nothing else to write home about. 

To see The Hockey News Tony Ferrari's Final Draft Rankings, click here

Adam Fantilli from Nobleton, Ontario is listed at 6'2'' 195 lbs and is everything the CBJ could want in a #1 center, something they have never had in the 23 years of the franchise, and that fact is seriously hard to believe. He has a bit of an edge, again, something that is desperately needed on this team. He's also a playmaker, again, I know I sound like a broken record, but something else that is needed on this team. 

So will he be there at #3 for Jarmo Kekäläinen and Company to draft? Or will it be someone else, perhaps Leo Carlsson or Will Smith? John Davidson has said publicly, on more than one occasion that they will take a center with the third pick, but who will it be? And do they want someone that can contribute NOW or LATER? Will Smith is committed to playing at Boston College next season. Leo Carlsson had already been playing in a pro league in Europe, so he is presumably ready for the jump. But what about Fantilli? Rumors are he is heading back to Michigan for his Sophomore season, but those rumors are just that, and I've found little, to no actual credible information on this. CBJ fans would love for him to be there at 3, because some think he would go pro if drafted by the Blue Jackets, but could go back to school if drafted by the Ducks. The theory I have is that based on proximity between his home town, and Ann Arbor and Columbus, all relatively close to one another, it could make a jump into the pros more comfortable for him, as opposed to being clear across North America in California. He is only 18, turning 19 days before the season starts, call me crazy, but I feel that could be a factor. I guess we'll find out soon enough.