Michigan hockey's Adam Fantilli named Hobey Baker Award winner

Tampa, Fla. — His team may have fallen short of the ultimate goal, but Adam Fantilli added a top-tier sweetener to his college resume the night after his Michigan Wolverines were eliminated from the Frozen Four by Quinnipiac, in a 5-2 loss at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

Fantilli, a projected top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, was named Friday as the Hobey Baker Award winner — given annually to the top player in college hockey — at a ceremony in Tampa. Minnesota forwards Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes) and Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs) were runners-up.

"It was nerve-wracking," Fantilli said after being named the winner. "Those two players are phenomenal guys. I'm sure they're gonna play their hearts out tomorrow. It could have gone any way, and I'm happy it went mine, but yeah, it was definitely nerve-wracking."

Fantilli became just the third freshman to win the award, along with Paul Kariya (Maine, 1999) and Jack Eichel (Boston University, 2015). He's the third Michigan Wolverine to win the Hobey and the first since Kevin Porter in 2008. Brendan Morrison won the award in 1997. Past and present Wolverines Luke Hughes (2022), Matty Beniers (2022), and Quinn Hughes (2019) were the school’s most recent top-10 finalists.

Fantilli led the nation in points (65) by a significant margin, totaling 30 goals and 35 assists. Cooley is second with 60 points (22-38). Fantilli's 30th goal came in the second period of Thursday’s Frozen Four. Earlier in the night, Fantilli and sophomore Michigan defenseman Luke Hughes were named First-Team All-Americans. Fantilli was also named 2023 Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year.

The entire Michigan team stuck around after being eliminated to support Fantilli at the ceremony.

"It means the world to me. I mean, like I said in my speech, those guys are my brothers," Fantilli said. "I'm so happy they were able to stick around."

While a player of Fantilli's caliber would typically be earmarked for a shot in the NHL once he's drafted, top Michigan players have had a tendency to return for a second year of late. Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Kent Johnson and Hughes all played two seasons at Michigan as top-five draft picks. Fantilli said he hasn't even begun to consider that decision. The NHL Draft begins Wednesday, June 28 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

"I don't know, to be honest," Fantilli said. "I gotta talk to the people around me and discuss that decision, and eventually, I'll come to one pretty soon."

Sophomore forward Dylan Duke on Wednesday called Fantilli “the best player I’ve ever played with.”

“Owen (Power) and Matty Beniers are right there with him, but he does a lot to make himself better,” Duke said. “At the end of the day, he’s a great person, and I think that’s why he has so much success on the ice. He treats all of us with respect and he’s like the rest of us. He doesn’t act like he’s supposed to go first overall, second overall, whatever he’s gonna go here.

“He’s just a special person.”

Fantilli, a native of Nobleton, Ontario, previously was named to the Big Ten’s All-Freshman First Team, All-Big Ten First Team, and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Knies won Big Ten Player of the Year. In January, he won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Fantilli’s Michigan linemate, freshman forward Gavin Brindley, went with another description: “He’s a generational talent.”

“I’ve played against him since I was 10 years old,” Brindley said. “We’ve had lots of battles growing up. Playing on the same team now, it’s pretty special, now playing on the same line. He’s one of my best buddies on the team. He’s in my dorm watching hockey every night after practice.

“He’s just grown so much as a person... his game, it’s obviously something special to watch. He’s a pro. With that (6-foot-2, 195-pound) frame of his and what he can do out there, it’s pretty special.”

Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato, who played on Porter’s 2008 team — which also reached the Frozen Four — spoke on Fantilli’s competitiveness as a separating factor.

“It’s the culture that these guys have created. I think it’s a credit to them, and Adam’s a part of that,” Naurato said. “He doesn’t want to be treated like a high-end draft pick or thinks that he’s above it. They’re just teammates and buddies and enjoying the ride.”

Michigan is now tied with Boston College and Boston University for the third-most Hobey Baker winners (three) in NCAA history. Harvard and Minnesota each have four and Minnesota Duluth six. 

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @nolanbianchi