Columbus Blue Jackets select forward Adam Fantilli No. 3 overall in 2023 NHL Draft

The Columbus Blue Jackets have selected University of Michigan superstar Adam Fantilli with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Fantilli dominated the University of Michigan this past season, notching an NCAA-leading 30 goals and 65 points in 36 games, earning him the Hobey Baker Award and the Tim Taylor Trophy as the NCAA’s Top Collegiate Player and Top Collegiate Rookie. Fantilli was also named to the NCAA First All-American Team as he and the Wolverines captured the B1G Championship. After Fantilli’s miraculous season, he now holds the NCAA record for points per game. 1.80 points-per-game (PPG), former No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel held the previous record and ended his draft year with a 1.78 PPG

The Toronto, Ontario product starred for Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships, registering five points in seven games and winning a gold medal.

“Think Evgeni Malkin in his prime,” Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis said. “The shot. The skating. The two-way play. There’s so much going for him. He’d be the top pick most other years.”

From his size, speed, and playmaking ability to his hockey IQ, puckhandling, and accurate shot, he has all the tools to be a massive game-changer in the NHL one day. Fantilli has the potential to become an elite first-line center at the NHL level.

Even No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard boasted about his World Juniors teammate “[Fantilli’s] so fast, so dynamic…Obviously, he’s someone who kind of pops out just with his speed, his size. He’s so powerful, and what he’s doing in college is kind of unheard of.” Bedard said.

Fantilli joins a Blue Jackets team that features the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Kent Johnson and a boat load of defensive prospects in David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk and more. It is unclear whether or not Fantilli will return to Michigan for another year of college hockey or embark on the pro path right away.