Forward Adam Fantilli, the No. 3 overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft, signed a three-year entry level contract with the club on Saturday.
The team did not announce financial terms.
Fantilli, 18, won the Hobey Baker Award, given to the nation’s top college player, as a freshman at Michigan in 2022-23. He played in 36 games and recorded 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) with 10 power play goals and a +31 plus/minus rating.
He led all college players in goals, points, points per game (1.81), goals per game (0.83) and assists per game (tied, 0.97). He won the NCAA’s Tim Taylor Award as the top college rookie and also was named to the NCAA First All-American Team. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten.
Before his season at Michigan, the Ontario native had 110 points (55 goals, 55 assists) in 103 games with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League from 2020-22.
–Field Level Media