NHL draft prospect Adam Fantilli is lighting up the NCAA. Where would he fit in with the Flyers?

ALLENTOWN — One of the top prospects in the 2023 NHL entry draft, University of Michigan center Adam Fantilli, was on display Friday — in PPL Arena, home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, to be exact.

Fantilli helped Michigan to an 11-1 win over Colgate in its NCAA Tournament regional, notching a goal and an assist. The Wolverines move on to face Penn State — coming off its own blowout, 8-0 over Michigan Tech — with a berth in the Frozen Four on the line.

By October, Flyers fans might be seeing Fantilli play in a slightly bigger arena about 90 minutes away in South Philly. And, just maybe, when he does, he’ll be wearing the orange and black.

Ranked No. 2 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and leading the NCAA with 1.85 points per game as a freshman, the Nobleton, Ontario, native is seemingly a lock as a top-five selection in the draft.

» READ MORE: Resetting the Flyers’ future: Which prospects, draft picks do they have in the pipeline?

Make no mistake, the Flyers will need some major luck to get him. And head coach John Tortorella staunchly opposes the idea that the Flyers should lose just to get better lottery odds, calling tanking “asinine” on Friday. As it stands, the Flyers have a 6.5% chance of drawing the first overall pick and a 6.9% chance of getting the second, according to Tankathon.

But as far as consolation prizes go — if he can even be called that — the team that just misses out on consensus first-overall pick Connor Bedard could do far worse than Fantilli. In most other years, he would have a strong case for being the top selection in the draft. It just so happens that this June, he’s blocked from that spot by someone who most scouts agree is a generational talent.

Still, the two-way center boasts speed, physicality, and playmaking abilities that have the potential to turn him into a franchise player for whichever team nabs him. If that team is the Flyers, Fantilli could fit right in as a top-six center and become the cornerstone of their rebuild.

To put it simply, the Flyers need center depth right now. The position has been in limbo all year. Top-line center Sean Couturier has been out with a back injury since 2021, Tortorella has moved Kevin Hayes to the wing, and Tanner Laczynski has missed extended periods of time because of injuries. The Flyers have mostly relied on Morgan Frost and Noah Cates (a converted left winger) down the middle this season, but even Frost has admitted they both have been “struggling on faceoffs.”

Fantilli also has the offensive production the Flyers have been lacking. Philadelphia has mainly relied on Travis Konecny this year, who has 54 points in 52 games — but he has also dealt with injuries, and hasn’t played since February. The Flyers rank dead last in the NHL in power play percentage at 15.8%. Fantilli has nine power-play goals with Michigan through 33 games, more than any Flyer this year in a fraction of the games played.

Fantilli showcased his offensive potential on Friday in Allentown. While he didn’t exactly stuff the stat sheet in the Wolverines’ rout, his one goal was an end-to-end unassisted beauty, where he used his speed to scorch past a Colgate defender, and with a blink-you’ll-miss-it wrist shot, snuck the puck under Colgate goalie Carter Gylander’s glove.

“It came off a rebound. I wasn’t too sure how it landed on my stick, but I saw the D-man skating forward, and I was just getting forward and I think I got him to look over both shoulders, so as soon as I caught him looking one way, I was able to go the other and just kind of burn him out,” Fantilli said.

He also showed his playmaking abilities when he fed teammate Rutger McGroarty with a no-look backhand pass. McGroarty buried the puck to put Michigan up, 6-0.

The 18-year-old Fantilli has continuously proved that he can elevate his game against players older than he is. He’s statistically the best player in college and a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a true freshman. And before arriving in Ann Arbor, he tore up the USHL as an underager, putting up 74 points in 54 games as a 17-year-old with the Chicago Steel.

He’s a physical player, unafraid of throwing hits in the corners or battling opposing defensemen for space in the slot.

Fantilli makes his presence felt at the defensive end, too. When Colgate broke away on a three-on-one rush midway through the first period, Fantilli showcased his elite speed. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder back-checked to break up a Colgate pass and prevented the Raiders from even getting a shot off.

That’s not to say he’s been perfect this year. At the 2023 World Juniors, Fantilli struggled at first to live up to the hype. While his Team Canada teammate Bedard shined, Fantilli was moved to the wing and then dropped to the bottom six after a lackluster performance in Canada’s opening 5-2 loss to Czechia. Fantilli has been criticized for trying to do too much on his own, which leads to him getting into trouble with turnovers.

» READ MORE: With Flyers officially acknowledging a ‘rebuild,’ all eyes turn to June’s NHL draft

Fantilli didn’t let the drop in position on Team Canada turn into a snub, though, and he had huge moments later in the tournament. He scored the game-winner against the U.S. in the semifinal, en route to Canada’s second consecutive World Juniors gold medal. And since returning from Halifax, he’s continued to light up the NCAA.

For his part, Fantilli says he hasn’t been worrying about where he might end up this summer.

“I watch quite a bit of hockey, so I have quite the good understanding of who’s a good team, who’s not winning as much, but honestly, I haven’t looked at the standings too much,” he said.

But for Flyers fans, he’s a name besides Bedard to be excited about, especially if something goes right for them in the draft lottery on May 8.