As we inch closer to the 2023 World Junior Championship tournament, an annual December/January tradition, we're going to get an up-close look at a lot of the top prospects for the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft, as well as some of the top prospects who have already been drafted but have not yet locked down full-time NHL roles just yet.
One of the players who will have a lot of eyes on him is 18-year-old Adam Fantilli, who is certainly good enough to go 1st overall in just about any other year. However, thanks to fellow Canadian Connor Bedard also being draft eligible, Fantilli currently lands at #2 on the list.
Fantilli is enjoying a sensational rookie season with the University of Michigan in the NCAA's Big-10. Fantilli currently ranks 3rd in the entire league in points and points per game with 26 points (11G, 15A) and a 1.62 PPG average.
The Ontario native had a chance to speak with TSN on Saturday and one of the questions he was asked is who he models his game after. Fantilli stated that he tries to model his game after one of his heroes, Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. This doesn't come as a huge surprise, considering that Fantilli grew up idolizing Bergeron and the Bruins. In addition, he listed Avalanche alternate captain Nathan MacKinnon and Stars captain Jamie Benn as players who he tries to emulate and also revealed that he has become a massive Auston Matthews fan after last season's historic 60-goal run.
