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“Adam's Eve” - August 8, 2025 – Vol. 79, Issue 01
IMAGINE BEING TOLD you’re ruining your kid’s life. Not his career. Not his hockey experience. His life. How would that make you feel? That was what Giuliano Fantilli faced six years ago when he had the temerity to allow his gifted, hockey-playing son to take the road less travelled to play hockey with his older brother, whom he missed terribly. But as Giuliano watched that son, Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam, at a morning skate in Toronto late last season, he took no pride in proving those people wrong. It’s just that perhaps people who don’t know much shouldn’t be so quick to share their opinions. But that’s youth hockey, eh?
And, make no mistake, things turned out just fine for Adamo Giuliano Fantilli, last season’s excruciating playoff miss with the Blue Jackets notwithstanding. At 20, Fantilli has a 30-goal NHL season to his credit and has become the No. 1 center Columbus has coveted, well, forever. (Or at least since the fan base was begging for someone who could get the puck to Rick Nash.) Prior to that, Fantilli won a USHL championship in 2020-21, and then he was the best player in college hockey and won gold medals at the world juniors and World Championship all in the same 2022-23 season. He’s big and talented, and when he learns that he doesn’t have to try to win the game on every shift, he’ll be an elite player in the NHL.
Yes, things are good for Fantilli. And no, his life was not ruined. “It really upset me when people said that to my dad,” Fantilli said. “Because those were the same people who were calling him and asking him for advice later on for their kids. He handled that really well.”
When Fantilli was 14 and entering his final year of youth hockey, he was all set to join the juggernaut Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the Greater Toronto League. His older brother, Luca, was playing prep-school hockey at the Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire. Adam initially didn’t think the level of hockey would be enough of a challenge – until he visited his brother for a weekend early in the season. The hockey was good. Really good. But more importantly, Adam desperately missed his older brother. So he decided he wanted to play there instead.
The Jr. Canadiens did not stand in his way, even though it meant they would lose the best player in the league and the undisputed No. 1 prospect for the 2020 OHL draft. Fantilli went to Kimball Union, then eschewed the OHL to play two years for the Chicago Steel before spending a year at the University of Michigan. He got to play with his brother both in Chicago and at Michigan, where Luca will be a senior this season. “He’s my best friend,” Adam said of Luca, 22. “He’s the man. Anyone who knows him loves him. He’s so much fun to be around, and he levels me out a little bit.”
Not that Fantilli needs much levelling out, but like any other young player, consistency can sometimes be elusive. But when Sean Monahan sustained a wrist injury that required surgery in January, Fantilli stepped up and became the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 center, responding with 12 goals and 23 points and playing a two-way game in the 28 contests Monahan missed. Included in that were two hat tricks, one in Toronto in January and another at Madison Square Garden in March.
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From the Toronto game, there’s a cute video of Fantilli’s mother, Julia, removing her hat as Fantilli takes a pass from Kirill Marchenko on an empty-net 2-on-1, and just as her son is taking the shot, she becomes the first person to toss the hat on the ice. “That was actually my hat,” Giuliano said. “I said to her after, ‘You probably would have felt pretty stupid if he had missed, right?’” And as the Blue Jackets were desperately chasing down a playoff spot in the final week of the season, Fantilli had back-to-back two-goal games in wins over the Washington Capitals and a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers to keep the Blue Jackets in contention until Game 82.
IT REALLY UPSET ME WHEN PEOPLE SAID THAT TO MY DAD-ADAM FANTILLI
There has not been a lot to feel good about in Columbus for a while, and the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, in the summer gave the franchise every excuse to be distracted and unfocused. But the opposite occurred, and Fantilli was a big part of that.
And this is huge for the Blue Jackets, who you could argue have never had a true No. 1 center. They thought they had one when they drafted Gilbert Brule sixth overall in 2005 and Derick Brassard in the same spot the next year. They really thought they had one when they took Ryan Johansen fourth overall in 2010 and really, really thought they had one when they passed on Matthew Tkachuk and Clayton Keller to take Pierre-Luc Dubois third overall in 2016. With Johansen and Dubois, they had one for a little while – until they dealt Johansen to get Seth Jones and things went sideways with Dubois.
Both the Blue Jackets and Fantilli are counting on more staying power this time around. “I want to be that guy,” Fantilli said. “That’s what I was drafted to be, and I want to be that player. I was given a big opportunity with ‘Monny’ out, and I was really proud of how I was able to play in that situation. I do want to be that player eventually, and hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later.”
Johansen and Dubois both had seasons early in their careers that were every bit as good as Fantilli’s was in 2024-25, so anything can happen. But to say the Blue Jackets are pleased with the way Fantilli has developed in his first two seasons in Columbus would be an understatement. They, too, were pretty proud of the way Fantilli played in Monahan’s absence. “It’s one thing to have skill and be offensive and be able to score goals,” said Columbus coach Dean Evason, “but you have to be able to keep it out of the net and play a heavier and harder game, and he’s committed to every one of those things.”
All of the physical tools are there and on display – the size, the speed, the shot, the hands – and it’s plain to see that he’s assembling them quite nicely. Now, it’s a matter of managing the game. The Blue Jackets were encouraged by the fact there were several times last season when he took over and was a difference-maker for them.
He’s finding the balance in his approach, and he continues to create more space for himself and his linemates, especially in the offensive zone when he backs off defenders who have to respect his skill and drive. “It’s how to manage the game, when to be patient and when to take the bull by the horns,” said James van Riemsdyk, who played with Fantilli last season before signing with Detroit in July. “That’s a process for any young player to figure out. It’s things like when to use your teammates, when to make more of a 1-on-1 play, and I think he’s finding that balance really well. You could see when that started to click for him, he started having a lot of success. It’s been fun to watch his growth as a player.”
Elite players often have a history of really busting out offensively in their third NHL seasons. So, after the personal and team success he had last season, Fantilli being a point-per-game player on a playoff-bound Columbus team in 2025-26 is not out of the realm of possibility. Fantilli has had success everywhere he has ever played. And by forging his own path in the face of so much scrutiny, he has proven he can excel in almost any environment.
I WANT TOBE THAT GUY. THAT’S WHAT I WAS DRAFTED TO BE-ADAM FANTILLI
There is a fair bit of positive juju surrounding the Blue Jackets these days, and Fantilli is a big part of that. “I’ve always been pretty confident in my abilities as a player,” Fantilli said. “It helps that I’ve played with a lot of great players and had some pretty good success at a team level. When you experience those things, that’s where the confidence comes from.”
Fantilli and the Blue Jackets are hoping that confidence can translate into tangible success. Because if any franchise is deserving of some good things happening to it, it’s the Blue Jackets.
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