Florida Panthers AHL Affiliate Signs Brother Of Young NHL Star

The Florida Panthers AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, have made four signings, including the brother of Columbus Blue Jackets star Adam Fantilli.

Among the four signings was defenseman Luca Fantilli. In addition to Fantilli, the Checkers also signed defenseman Mitch Vande Sompel, forward Will Bitten, and goaltender Vinnie Purpura to AHL contracts, all for one season.

Luca Fantilli is the older brother of Adam. Luca has spent the past four seasons with the University of Michigan in the NCAA. In his senior year, Fantilli served as an alternate captain, during which he scored a career-high four goals and 17 points in 40 games. 

Throughout his college tenure, the Wolverines were among the best teams in college hockey, winning the Big Ten Championship twice but never winning the coveted National Championship. 

Prior to joining Michigan, Fantilli captained the Chicago Steel of the USHL. Fantilli is a 23-year-old, six-foot-180-pound left-handed defenseman.

Vande Sompel is the other defenseman signed to the Checkers. The 29-year-old has been in the AHL for the past nine seasons, and his last two-and-a-half seasons have been spent with the Checkers.

Bitten has spent the past two seasons in the KHL, but he’s returning to North America next season. Prior to departing for Russia, Bitten spent time with the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild organizations, playing four NHL games in the 2022-23 season. 

The final player signed by the Checkers is goaltender Vinnie Purpura. The 27-year-old has been playing in the ECHL for the past three seasons but has yet to make his AHL debut. 

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