NOBODY’S CONSOLATION PRIZE
The Anaheim Ducks may have lost the NHL Draft Lottery, but Adam Fantilli, the player waiting for them at No. 2, could be the franchise centerpiece they need.
Shortly after he was taken in the 1993 NHL Draft, new Ottawa Senators forward Alexandre Daigle was asked how he felt about going first overall.
“I’m glad I got dra ed first because nobody remembers number two,” he famously replied.
Time ultimately put the lie to that statement. Daigle is widely regarded as one of the greatest busts to be selected first. And what about the guy who went second that year? Well, Chris Pronger became one of the most dominant players of his era, winning the Stanley Cup, the Hart Trophy, and the Norris Trophy on his way to enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Today, Pronger is remembered as one of the most impactful players taken with the second pick. One day, Adam Fantilli could join that conversation.
2023 will almost certainly be remembered as the Connor Bedard Dra , but know this: Fantilli, widely regarded as the next-best prospect available, is nobody’s consolation prize.
While the Anaheim Ducks may be stinging from losing out in the dra lottery to the Chicago Blackhawks, they’re sure to get a significant piece for their ongoing rebuild if they go with the big center at No. 2.
Heading into the dra , Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek wasn’t tipping his hand about his potential selection. “ere’s two players, three players that we’re going to be looking at that are going to make a big difference in our franchise,” he said following the lottery. “We probably didn’t get Connor Bedard, but the next three guys are very exciting.”
at trio of possible selections includes Russian phenom Matvei Michkov – a player with massive hobby potential whose KHL contract will keep him overseas for several years – and Swedish center Leo Carlsson or American pivot Will Smith. But it’s the Canadian Fantilli who is viewed as the consensus best option a er Bedard. e six-foot-two, 188-pound center plays a high-skill, high-pace game with a booming physical edge that has scouts calling him a “new-age power forward,” and “Eric Lindros 2.0.”
“I tell you this,” one scout told Beckett Hockey. “He’s a game changer, a franchise cornerstone type.
“He has everything you want in a No. 1 center.” If not for Bedard, this year’s dra would be breathlessly centered on Fantilli, who is coming off one of the greatest freshman seasons in NCAA history with the University of Michigan. e 18-year-old became just the third first-year player to win the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college, following Paul Kariya (1993) and Jack Eichel (2015). He posted an NCAAbest 30 goals and 65 points in just 36 games for Michigan, a staggering 1.81 points per game. at’s the top offensive season in Division I since Kyle Connor posted 1.87 PPG for the Wolverines back in 2015-16. “Whoever dras him is getting a first overall-type player,” Wolverines associate coach Bill Muckalt told e Athletic. “What he has done for us this year has been incredible to watch to be honest.” ere’s a lot to love about Fantilli’s game. Talk to scouts and they rave about his size, his skating, his shot, and his compete level … and then they nod admiringly about the relentless work ethic that has shaped his elite skill set. “He’s a kid who takes every perceived knock (on his game) as a challenge,” one scout told Beckett Hockey. “e tools were there but what you see is the product of hard work. He’s driven to be better at every element of the game and is focused on constant improvement.” “He’s always looking for an edge, always looking to get better,” said another. “e stories about him are legendary. He’s got that growth mindset approach, where he believes he can get better and then puts in the work to get there. He’s an impressive young man with the chance to be a superstar in this league.” at’s exactly what the rebuilding Ducks are looking for. And heading to Anaheim might make Fantilli’s entry to the NHL next season smoother than Bedard’s in Chicago. “No knock on Bedard, he’s going to be a sensation right from the start, but he’s on an island in Chicago,” a scout said. “Who’s he gonna play with there, (Jason) Dickinson? Fantilli is headed for a much better situation (if he goes to Anaheim).” at’s something the hobby will likely have a close eye on. In Anaheim, he’d join a club already utilizing several top young players like Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and Jamie Drysdale, with promising forwards Sasha Pastujov, Nathan Gaucher, and Jacob Perreault on the way. e Ducks in 2023 also became the first team in NHL history to have a prospect named defenseman of the year in all three Canadian major junior leagues in the same season: Olen Zellweger (WHL), Pavel Mintyukov (OHL), and Tristan Luneau (QMJHL). With all that talent in place and on the way, it’s easy to see the Ducks competing for a playoff spot much sooner than Bedard’s Blackhawks. One Ducks fan saw another silver lining. “I’ll be honest, I was literally fearing what it was going to cost to collect Bedard,” said Ducks collector Shelly Marentette. “I’m happy that (Fantilli) should be a little more affordable to chase.” Fortunately, Marentette and others can get a jump on their Fantilli collections today. at’s something that wouldn’t have been possible in the past when players skating at American colleges were prohibited from appearing in trading card sets unless they were offered at no cost as game-night premiums. at changed in 2021 when players were granted the rights to their names, images, and likenesses (NIL) and were allowed to monetize them. And so Fantilli, who has represented Canada at the 2022 U18 and World Junior Championships, as well as the 2023 Mens World Championship, became a centerpiece of Upper Deck’s 2022-23 Team Canada World Juniors release. He earned 54 cards, including parallels, in the product. He also earned a 2023 Game Dated Moments card (#2) along with a Gold parallel and a Variant (#2V) aer potting a goal and an assist in Canada’s semi-final win at the WJC. With the hobby hype building since he scored twice and put up five points in seven games at the World Juniors, his cards have been strong sellers from the get-go, but as Marentette noted, they’re much more affordable than those of Bedard … for now. “Long term, aer he helps us win a couple of Cups, then we’ll see,” Marentette said with just a hint of a smile.