Blue Jackets’ Adam Fantilli is quickly becoming one of the NHL’s top young stars

Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

It didn’t take long for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli to realize how difficult the NHL is.

The Toronto, Ontario native was fresh off one of the most incredible college freshman seasons in recent history. The University of Michigan star registered 30 goals and 65 points in 36 games, helping him win just about every award imaginable. He was the NCAA’s top scorer, he won the coveted Hobey Baker Award as the top male college hockey player, and also won gold at the World Juniors and World Championship, among other accolades.

By all accounts, Fantilli was on top of the world – but carrying that success to the NHL proved to be another story.

Fantilli posted 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games with Columbus before suffering a season-ending calf laceration during a game on Jan. 28. It was a tough end to a season that saw plenty of ups and downs. But it only felt like a matter of time until he put everything together in the big leagues.

And that’s the thing. Going from a superstar in college to just another player on an NHL team is difficult. The 82-game grind is like nothing else. So when you get hurt just as you start to figure things out, it can be a blow.

Fantilli entered the 2024-25 season trying to prove something – to show the world he could become the star-caliber player so many believed he could be. He found a way to be a star presence no matter where he played or who skated alongside him. Fantilli was a difference-maker – many scouts thought he’d be a No. 1 pick in most drafts. Instead, Columbus took him third overall in 2023 when most expected him to go to Anaheim at No. 2.

Chicago’s Connor Bedard has done quite a lot with subpar linemates in his career. Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson, meanwhile, has had a bit of a more challenging road. He’s at 14 goals and 28 points in 57 games as a sophomore – a slight drop from his 28 points in 55 games a year ago. Fantilli, meanwhile, sits at 21 goals and 41 points – tracking for just under 30 goals and over 50 points.

The Blue Jackets are a serious threat this year, something very few people would have expected. Fantilli is the team’s second most productive forward at 5-on-5 while playing some difficult matchups. He has two hat tricks already this season, something no other U-21 player can claim.

Since Jan. 1, the Blue Jackets have the fifth-best record in the NHL, with Fantilli leading Columbus forwards with 26 points. That’s good for 29th in the NHL overall, and first among U-21 players. Fantilli is averaging 2.87 points-per-game at 5-on-5 since the start of the New Year. That’s good for 11th in the NHL among players with at least 24 games played in that span. Fantilli only has three power-play points this year, so it’s not like he’s a PP merchant, either.

The Blue Jackets as a whole have performed mightily in recent months, but Fantilli – arguably the team’s most important young forward – is making some serious noise. It doesn’t feel like he’s no longer struggling to keep up with the pace or the play-reads. Fantilli is playing with the confidence you want from a young player making his mark.

Fantilli has always been credited for having a strong mental game. Couple that with his competitive, physical nature and a true wealth of skill, and it’s hard not to love his game. But Fantilli has also taken big strides in his two-way game, which he seemed to struggle with as a rookie center.

“He looked kind of frazzled around the net – trying to be too reactive and not positioning himself right,” one scout said.

But Fantilli has found a way to slow down and not try to do everything. He’s more often in a position to take away scoring lanes and isn’t having to chase after the game. That ability to be more effective at 5-on-5 has promoted him to the top center position. Since the start of the new year, only Kirill Marchenko (15:56) is playing more than Fantilli (15:54) at 5-on-5 among Blue Jackets forwards.

The Blue Jackets have eight players on their current lineup aged 24 or younger. And almost all of them are key pieces, with 27-year-old Zach Werenski being the only player older than 24 in the top five in team scoring. The Blue Jackets have a legitimately bright future under GM Don Waddell and coach Dean Evason. The Eastern Conference playoff race is still wide open, but Columbus’ youth movement has rallied together as a group to become a legitimate threat.

Fantilli isn’t the team’s offensive leader just yet. But at 20, he’s already becoming a dominant puck-possession player. He’s also learning how to make himself more effective away from the puck while still playing with his trademark power.

More importantly, Fantilli makes the Blue Jackets more menacing. And he’s only just getting started.

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Blue Jackets’ Adam Fantilli is quickly becoming one of the NHL’s top young stars

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