It was a tale of two seasons for Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli this year. A slow start to his sophomore season had many questioning his future. But when the team needed him to step up and fill a top line vacancy, he exploded onto the scene and became a different player.
Fantilli wound up finishing fifth on the Blue Jackets in scoring this year, and depending on which part of the season you look at, that may be surprising in either a good way or a bad way. Or, if you choose to look at the whole thing: it's not surprising at all.
He really took some time finding his way early on this year. That should have been expected, considering how his rookie season went. After being thrown into the mix of a completely dysfunctional organization, he struggled to find consistency in his game - then saw his season come to an early end thanks to a horrifying leg injury.
Through three months of the season, Adam's stat line was definitely worrisome. In 38 games played, he had just 7 goals, 15 points, a -13 rating and 71 shots on goal (1.87 per game). The turning of the calendar to 2025 completely changed his trajectory, however; and gave us a glimpse of the player that the Jackets took third overall at the 2023 NHL Draft.
An injury to top line center Sean Monahan opened the door. Adam Fantilli stepped in and never looked back. Through the last half of the season, his stat line looked like this: 44GP, 24G, 39P, +17, 120SOG (2.73 per game). Over a full season, that would be a roughly 45 goal, 73 point pace. This would have been the best season by a center in franchise history. And, it wasn't just the scoring that stood out.
He looked more confident in general, almost like he had taken the first half of the season as one big lesson to prepare him for his chance. He confidently stepped up and carried the mail for a team that should have fallen way out of the playoff race. Instead, they stuck in the fight right down to the last day of the regular season. His overall improvement was a huge part of that.
There were still some occasional glaring mistakes; such as the odd missed assignment or a bad decision with the puck. And, his faceoff percentage (41.2%) leaves a lot to be desired. But overall, he did a much better job picking his spots, and he showed a heavy physical element that we'd been waiting to see. This is the game we were hoping Adam Fantilli would find:
Development was the key all along.
The Blue Jackets have been around for 25 years, and in far too many of those years they've had high picks in the draft. One could argue that the biggest thing holding them back over their entire existence has been their inability to develop talented young players and get the most out of them. By hiring an experienced GM for the first time, they may have found the formula for success.
Don Waddell's first major move last summer was to relieve Pascal Vincent of his job as head coach. Dean Evason replaced him, and you could really see the change in philosophy in action this year. No longer were the young players punished for every individual mistake. Instead, guys like Adam Fantilli were allowed to learn the hard lessons while being given the freedom and trust to correct them and improve.
Waddell also insulated his team by signing Sean Monahan in free agency. It may be hyperbole, to say this, but I don't really care: I can't imagine a better mentor for a young center of Fantilli's make in this league. Monahan was once a high draft pick himself, and he's been in this league a long time. As a big bodied, heavy two-way player; he led the way for Adam Fantilli by setting an example this year, and I don't think we can measure his value in statistics.
Or, maybe we can. In his own, and the statistics of a player like Fantilli. Adam broke onto the scene this year in part because of a stronger lineup and more cohesive environment around him. We knew he had the talent. But the NHL is hard, and the things that worked in the NCAA don't always work up here.
Aside from his talent and the environment around him, his attitude makes all the difference in the world. Adam shows up every day with a positive attitude, willing and ready to learn. What more can you want in a young player? This season, he gets an easy "A" grade from me. His slow start didn't bring him down. Instead, he persevered and became the player we hoped he would be.
He's eligible for a contract extension this summer, and I would love to see Don Waddell lock him up for the full 8-year term. Adam Fantilli is the kind of player you can build a Stanley Cup team around, and he's only getting started.