NEWSLETTER
On Friday, Hockey Canada announced their opening roster for the upcoming World Championship tournament. While there are no current Blackhawks on the list, there’s one name of interest: Adam Fantilli.
Fantilli, 18, will join a roster full of NHL regulars and names we all recognize. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player this season after having an impressive, dominant season for the University of Michigan. Fantilli scored 30 goals and added 35 assists for 65 points in just 36 games for the Wolverines.
At the World Juniors in the winter, Fantilli skated in a supporting role and collected five points in seven games for the gold medal-winning Canadian roster. He spent two years with the Chicago Steel of the USHL before playing his freshman season at Michigan.
Most scouts, experts, analysts and fans think Fantilli has a strong chance of being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft behind Connor Bedard. There will be conversations about the candidacies of Leo Carlsson and Matvei Michkov in that spot (depending on the team), but there’s so much to like about Fantilli’s game. He has the size (6-2, 195) and ability to be a top-line center for years in the NHL.
Going into Monday night’s 2023 NHL Draft Lottery, the Blackhawks have an 11.5 percent chance of winning the second overall selection in the draft.
If the Blackhawks win the second overall pick and select Fantilli, we’ll have to have a conversation about what number he wears in the NHL. He’s worn 19 for Michigan and Canada… but that isn’t going to be available in Chicago ever again.
