Fantilli Joins Bedard on Team Canada at the World Championship: 'I Have to Get My Game Going'

Adam Fantilli Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Championship continues to skew young.

Joining 18-year-old Connor Bedard and 17-year-old Macklin Celebrini at the May 10 to 26 tournament in Czechia will be 19-year-old Adam Fantilli, who was part of the team that won gold a year ago.

For Fantilli, who hasn’t played a game since his calf was lacerated by a skate blade on Jan. 28 when delivering a hit on Seattle’s Jared McCann, it is an opportunity to end the hockey year on a positive note.

“I only played 49 games this year,” the Columbus Blue Jackets forward told The Hockey News in a phone interview right before boarding a flight to Europe. “I have to get my game going. That’s my concern.”

Indeed, it was a difficult year for the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft. Not only did Fantilli have his season end early, but it was plagued by off-ice issues beyond his control. The Blue Jackets fired their coach before the season began, then parted ways with their GM and had star winger Patrik Laine take a personal leave of absence.

By the end of the year, Columbus went from a team that was considered a dark horse to make the playoffs to one that finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Fantilli, who had 12 goals and 27 points, was a bit of a bright spot. Even then, critics wondered why the highly touted rookie didn’t receive more ice time and opportunity in a season that was all about the growth of the youngsters.

“There was a lot going on,” said Fantilli, who did his best to remain positive this season. “I was really happy with how much I was able to learn and how much I was able to play. It was an eyeopening experience. There’s stuff you can’t teach yourself. It helped me get better as a player.”

Heading to the World Championship, where Fantilli scored the game-winning goal against Latvia in the semifinal and finished the tournament with three points in 10 games last year, is a chance for Fantilli to continue to develop and prepare for next season. It’s also another opportunity to reunite with Bedard, with whom Fantilli last won gold at the 2023 world juniors.

“I don’t know who’s even on the whole team,” said Fantilli. “I know ‘Beds’ is going over there, so it should be fun. We talked a lot this year. It was great to see how he was doing this year. He had a great year.”