Fantilli Wins IIHF Gold, Nominated for Male Player of the Year
6/7/2023 2:47:00 PM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Adam Fantilli's historic freshman season at the University of Michigan ice hockey team in April, but he continues to garner accomplishments for his play.
With the upcoming NHL Draft, Fantilli could have elected to decline the invitation by Hockey Canada to the IIHF World Championship, but readily accepted.
He began the tournament as a left wing, notching assists in each of the first two games but found himself as the 19th skater of a fourth line for the next four games before being scratched for two. Fantilli returned in the team's semifinal game against Latvia on May 27 as a right wing on the top line. And he delivered, scoring the game-winning goal to send Canada to the gold-medal game. It was not just any goal, but a stick-handling masterpiece that has been labeled as "the nicest goal of the tournament."
Against Germany in the gold medal game, Fantilli played his most minutes of the tournament with a time on ice of 14:27, once again on the top line. When the buzzer sounded, Canada had won gold with a 5-2 win.
Fantilli became just the second Canadian to win gold at the World Juniors and Worlds in the same season, joining Jonathan Toews, and is only the 11th player to do so in the world. He is the first player in history to win both in the same year he was won the Hobey Baker.
On Wednesday (June 7), the IIHF announced its seven nominees for the IIHF Male Player of the Year, the first time the trophy will be awarded. The Male Player of the Year must have competed in at least one IIHF tournament his past season, as well as in a domestic league of the highest calibre for that country, the combined performances of which were deemed superior to all other players. The other six nominees include: Andres Ambuhl (Switzerland), Connor Bedard (Canada), Dominik Kubalik (Czechia), JJ Peterka (Germany), Moritz Seider (Germany) and Arturs Silovs (Latvia).
The NHL Draft will be held in Nashville, Tenn., with the first round on Wednesday (June 26). Fantilli is projected to be the second overall pick by many media outlets and scouting services.
