Although the Blue Jackets have gotten off to a rocky 1-2-0 start that has raised more questions than it's answered, rookie Adam Fantilli hasn't looked out of place. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft ranks 27th among skaters in individual expected goals per 60 minutes (ixG/60) at five-on-five, per naturalstattrick.com. This stat takes into account how many expected goals an individual has produced and then pro-rates that number over 60 minutes. Fantilli's 1.61 five-on-five ixG/60 is more than several NHL stars, including Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Pierre-Luc Dubois, David Pastrnak, and Jack Hughes.
Like every rookie, there are going to be peaks and valleys during Fantilli's season. What's important and exciting is the flashes of brilliance he's shown thus far.
Ridiculous backhand sauce here from Adam Fantilli, finding David Jiricek who cuts the Detroit lead to two. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/ZNeU6NSvjv
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) September 16, 2023
Just three games into his NHL career, Fantilli has played both at center and on the wing, and was part of a dominant line in the first period of Monday night's loss to Detroit.
#CBJ's Fantilli-Laine-Texier line at 5v5 in the first period vs. #LGRW (data via @NatStatTrick):
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 16, 2023
Shot Attempts: 6-0
Shots on Goal: 3-0
xG: 0.57-0.00
Scoring Chances: 3-0
High-Danger Chances: 2-0
While it's important to remember that Fantilli is still a 19-year-old rookie making his professional debut, the early results are extremely promising. If he continues to produce expected goals at this rate, it's only a matter of time before he scores actual goals.
Fantilli is a franchise-changing type of player, and he's already shown glimpses of why to start his career.
