Michigan hockey: Could Adam Fantilli really return to U-M?
Michigan Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli had a phenomenal freshman year, helping lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four. He’s a lock to be one of the first players chosen in the upcoming NHL Draft, an elite scorer who is just getting started.
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And yet Fantilli has yet to announce that he won’t return for his sophomore season. That’s led many to speculate that he might well come back for one more season of college hockey in Ann Arbor.
“I’ll wait until after the draft before making a decision,” Fantilli told NHL.com in a recent article. “Obviously, losing in the semifinal round against Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four left a bitter taste in my mouth because I wanted to win that game and the game after that to win the national championship.”
But his decision won’t have anything to do with “unfinished business,” he insisted.
“It’s more about development and being able to mature as a person,” he said.
It can’t hurt that his brother, Luca, is a Michigan defenseman. He’s as interested as anyone to see where Adam goes but believes he could play in the NHL.
“I think he’s kind of ready for anything, to be honest,” Luca Fantilli said. “I’m returning to Michigan, so I’d love to have him back another year and it’d definitely help our team out. But I think he is ready to step into the NHL and do good things. I’m just really excited to see what he decides, and I’m going to support him either way.”
Fantilli earned Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year honors, first-team All-America, Big 10 Tournament MVP, Big 10 Freshman of the Year, College Hockey News and USCHO Player of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, Big 10 All-Rookie Team and NCAA All-Regional Team honors in his first season. He’d be a favorite to repeat as the Hobey Baker winner next year if he did return.
Not only was he the Wolverines’ best player; he was also one of their best leaders, defenseman Luke Hughes praised.
“Something people don’t know about Adam is how much he led this team as a young guy,” Hughes said. “We had some older leaders that led in different ways, but Adam really led with his play and competitiveness, and I don’t think people really realize how big of a leader and how people looked up to him and his game. I think my favorite part about him is his competitiveness, his drive, and his will to win. He’s not afraid to mix it up. He can hit, he can fight. He’s a power forward with some skill and obviously he’s got a really good scoring touch.
“He was huge for us this year, and he should definitely go No. 2 [behind Canada’s Connor Bedard], if not No. 1.”
“It’s truly special just to see all the work he’s put in and how dedicated he is to the game, his diet and his recovery and his workouts,” his brother, 22 months his senior, added. “Everything he does, he does with a purpose and wants to be ready to accomplish his goals.
“He gives everything he has to the game, and to me the game was just giving it right back to him this year. It was truly special, and I’m just super proud of him.”
The buzz — there’s a legit chance he’ll be able to play with him one more year, too. That would give coach Brandon Naurato’s second team a huge shot in the arm.
