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Adam Fantilli Commits To The University of Michigan

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The Wolverines have done it again. The same school that saw four members of their 2021-22 roster selected in the top five of the 2021 NHL Draft has just secured another probable top-five pick. Forward Adam Fantilli of the USHL’s Chicago Steel has committed to the University of Michigan, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. Fantilli is considered a candidate to go first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Fantilli, 16, will spend one more season with Chicago and then it is off to Ann Arbor to join the Wolverines for the 2022-23 season. Fantilli, who already helped the Steel to a Clark Cup championship this past season and took home postseason MVP honors himself, would probably be ready for the NCAA ranks already were it not for his age and academic status. Fantilli will have to try to improve in the USHL this season after already posting 36 points in 49 games last year, followed by a stunning eight goals in eight playoff games. NHL teams are already convinced of his high-end ability and impressed by his growing 6’2″ frame, but now will see if he can remain consistent and driven in the USHL and then still have another season to see how he adjusts to the college game. If the rangy center can continue to score and flash immense skill while bulking up, he could be the can’t-miss prospect at the top of the 2023 draft class.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Fantilli will get a chance to play with many of Michigan’s current star players. Owen Power (BUF, No. 1 overall in 2021), Matthew Beniers (SEA, No. 2 overall in 2021), Kent Johnson (CLB, No. 5 overall in 2021) and Johnny Beecher (BOS, No. 30 overall in 2019) are almost certain to turn pro after this season, while Luke Hughes (NJD, No. 4 overall in 2021), Brendan Brisson (VGK, No. 29 overall in 2020), and Thomas Bordeleau (SJS, No. 38 overall in 2020) could follow. However, it is a safe bet that Mackie Samoskevich (FLA, No. 24 overall in 2021), Erik Portillo (BUF, No. 67 overall in 2019), and Dylan Duke (TBL, No. 126 overall in 2020) will stick around for Fantilli’s freshman year, where he will be joined by other notable prospects like Jackson Hallum (VGK, No. 91 overall in 2020), Frank Nazar, and brother Luca Fantilli in the recruiting class. This should keep the Wolverines’ National Championship window open for at least a couple years longer as they have quickly turned into the premier program in college hockey.

Several College Prospects Become Free Agents

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The middle of August is usually not a significant one on the prospect front but each year, some college prospects who have exhausted their eligibility become unrestricted free agents starting August 16 if they don’t sign an entry-level contract.  Here is this year’s list plus their original affiliation and where they’ve signed, if applicable:

F Kasper Kotkansalo (DET, 71st in 2017) – signed in Finland
D J.D. Greenway (TOR, 72nd in 2016) – AHL contract with Boston
D Matthew Cairns (EDM, 84th in 2016)
G Keith Petruzzelli (DET, 88th in 2017)
F Todd Burgess (OTT, 103rd in 2016) – AHL contract with Winnipeg
F Bryce Misley (MIN, 116th in 2017) – AHL contract with Minnesota
F Kale Howarth (CBJ, 148th in 2017)
F Aapeli Rasanen (EDM, 153rd in 2016) – signed in Finland
G Kris Oldham (TB, 153rd in 2015)
F Patrick Holway (DET, 170th in 2015)
G Garrett Metcalf (ANA, 179th in 2015)
D Croix Evingson (WPG, 211th in 2017)
D Matthew Hellickson (NJ, 214th in 2017)

If the list seems a little smaller than usual, there’s a reason for that.  With the pandemic adding an extra year of eligibility, some players that would have been on this list have instead opted to go back to college for a fifth season and their rights will be retained longer as a result.  In Petruzzelli’s case, he’s expected to be going back to college as well but was removed from Detroit’s reserve list along with the other players above.

Metropolitan Notes: Capitals, Clarke, Brylin

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While the awkward silence from the New York Islanders, who are presumed to have unannounced deals in place with a number of free agents, has drawn headlines this summer, it is the inactivity from the Washington Capitals that should perhaps be gaining more attention. It seems that the oddsmakers have taken notice, even if the national media have not. The current odds from BetMGM, adjusted following the Expansion Draft, NHL Draft, and free agency rush, have the Capitals at 25-1 to win the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. While this may not seem so bad, as Washington is tied with reigning Cup finalist Montreal, they are also tied with the New York Rangers – for the fourth-best mark in the Metropolitan Division. While the Capitals are just outside the top ten league-wide in terms of championship expectations, they first need to make the playoffs to get there. The Carolina Hurricanes (14-1), Pittsburgh Penguins (18-1), and New York Islanders (20-1) top the division’s best bets, which implies that MGM believes that they will receive the automatic bids from the Metropolitan Division.

This isn’t unreasonable; this past season the ’Canes won the Central Division, the Penguins won the East Division, and the Isles advanced to league semifinals. Meanwhile, the Capitals were easily dispatched in the first round by the Boston Bruins. The real surprise, though maybe it shouldn’t be, is that MGM feels the Rangers have drawn even with the Capitals. New York is a young, up-and-coming team while the Capitals are an older team that has lost Brenden Dillon and Michael Raffl and is listening to offers for Evgeny Kuznetsov. Yet, many would still say there is a gap between the two clubs. The oddsmakers feel differently. With three bids from the division and two wild card spots, with four Atlantic Division teams holding better odds than Washington and the Canadiens holding even, it will not be easy this season for the Capitals to even reach the postseason out of the Eastern Conference, nevertheless take home another Stanley Cup. It doesn’t help that they have made no improvements this summer.

  • Capitals prospect goaltender Chase Clark has made his college commitment. The 2021 sixth-round pick out of the NCDC’s Jersey Hitmen has signed on with Quinnipiac University, the Hitmen announced. Clark will join the Bobcats for the 2022-23 season after suiting up in the USHL this year. Clark will return to the Tri-City Storm this season, where he played three games last year, before heading off to college. While the NCDC is usually more of a feeder league for the USHL, NAHL, and prep school level rather than a direct source of NHL talent, Clark did enough this season with a .935 save percentage and 1.92 GAA to earn a flier from the Capitals late in the draft. He will be a long-term project for Washington, but developing at a strong program like Quinnipiac, Clark could turn out to be a solid prospect.
  • The New Jersey Devils re-located their AHL affiliate from Binghamton to Utica and now coach Sergei Brylin will make the move as well. The Utica Comets have announced that Brylin will join head coach Kevin Dineen’s staff as an assistant, transitioning from his role as associate coach with the Binghamton Devils. Brylin, who played exclusively with the Devils in his 13-year NHL career, has been with the organization as a minor league coach since 2012, joining the former Albany Devils immediately after retiring from playing, then in the KHL. The 47-year-old is likely in line for a promotion to AHL head coach or NHL assistant coach the next time a spot opens up.

Snapshots: Kaprizov, Elias, Robert Morris

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While no one wants to see dynamic and entertaining talent Kirill Kaprizov leave the NHL after just one year, especially after waiting so long for his arrival, the ongoing negotiations between he, the Minnesota Wild, and allegedly the KHL’s CSKA Moscow has been an intriguing storyline to say the least. However, the recent report that CKSA has an eight-figure offer out to Kaprizov is almost certainly a farce. As first pointed out by Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland, the KHL salary cap is equivalent to about $12MM, making an eight-figure offer one that eats up at least 83% of the team’s payroll on just one player. Even if they did want to make that kind of unrealistic commitment to Kaprizov, the perennial contenders are already flush with talent, including recent NHLers Joakim Nordstrom, Lucas Wallmark, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and several others. There is no possible way that CSKA can afford Kaprizov for anything more than Minnesota’s best offer, leading Strickland to call this “one of the worst bluffs in sports history.” So, rest easy Wild fans. Minnesota maintains all of the leverage in this negotiation and isn’t about to lose Kaprizov and certainly not to an imaginary KHL offer.

  • Following a strong performance at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, Sports Illustrated’s Steven Ellis reports that talented young Slovakian goalkeeper Rastislav Elias has decided to make the move to North America and will play in the USHL this season. Unlike the past few draft classes, which have featured elite goaltending prospects that were long considered first-round picks, the title for top goalie prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft is still up for grabs. Elias hopes that by joining the Green Bay Gamblers and testing himself in a new league, having only played in Slovakian juniors to this point, will earn him some consideration for that label. The spotlight will be on Elias in 2021-22, who is already considered one of the top prospects in net alongside Canadian Tyler Brennan and Russian Sergei Ivanov in particular. Not only will NHL teams be eying Elias, but NCAA programs will also be heavily scouting the talented prospect, who is still eligible to go the college route if he so chooses.
  • Robert Morris University made waves this spring – and not the good kind – when they shockingly terminated their men’s and women’s hockey programs. The decision spurned numerous outside efforts to raise money to bring the programs back before the coming season, but there had been no update as to whether those attempts had been successful. That official word came down today, as the Pittsburgh-area university announced that they will not be icing hockey teams in 2021-22. Robert Morris reports that they have raised $1.34MM in contributions and pledges, but would require $1.4MM in immediate contributions and another $1.4MM in future pledges in order to reinstate the programs. The school notes that it is “eyeing [a] comeback in 2022-23” if fundraising continues, but by then the players from both teams likely will have transferred and the program will be starting from scratch. It is a disappointing result and seeming lack of dedication and effort on the part of Robert Morris, especially as schools around the country are adding Division I hockey programs, not subtracting them.

Ducks’ Sasha Pastujov To De-Commit From Notre Dame, Sign In OHL

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A top American prospect is expected to make a major shift in his development plan. Forward Sasha Pastujov, who stunningly fell to the Anaheim Ducks in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft when some had him pegged as a first-rounder, is about to be the subject of another surprise. ESPN’s John Buccigross reports that Pastujov is giving up on his college commitment to the University of Notre Dame. Instead, Pastujov will sign an entry-level contract with the Ducks and then sign in the OHL with his rights-holder, the Guelph Storm.

Pastujov initially committed to the Fighting Irish back in 2018, which has always drawn some scrutiny with Notre Dame serving as a rival to the University of Michigan, where older brothers Nick and Michael Pastujov played their college hockey. Sasha was expected to enroll at Notre Dame this fall and looked like the crown jewel of the incoming freshman class. A product of the U.S. National Team Development program, Pastujov recorded 30 goals and 65 points in 42 games this season, leading the team by a wide margin. It was the second straight season that Pastujov has scored at better than a point-per-game pace for the USNTDP, which led many to believe that his offensive skill and instinct would lead to an early selection in the draft. It also set him up well to make an immediate difference in the NCAA.

Well, now that impact will occur in the OHL, as Guelph has suddenly been gifted a top prospect as they get set to return to action. There has been no word as to what caused Pastujov’s sudden charge of heart, though there was no indication of such a move until after his selection, suggesting that perhaps Anaheim had some input. On the other hand, Pastujov is also the third member of the most recent USNTDP U-18 team to break his commitment to a college program in favor of major junior. Tampa Bay Lightning third-round pick Roman Schmidt abandoned Boston University in favor of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, while San Jose Sharks sixth-rounder Liam Gilmartin opted for the OHL’s London Knights over Providence College. It’s a strange trend for this year’s American crop, counter to the massive growth of the college game in recent years. For whatever reason, Pastujov has made the decision that he thinks is best for his development and now he and Ducks just hope it works out.

 

Chicago Blackhawks Extend Mike Hardman

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One of the moves that may have gone overlooked late in the season was the Chicago Blackhawks signing of undrafted college free agent Mike Hardman to an entry-level contract after Boston College was eliminated from the NCAA tournament. The 22-year-old forward managed to get into eight games with the team down the stretch and immediately made an impact with his full-throttle playstyle, scoring a goal and three points. Now, with a year remaining on his entry-level deal, the Blackhawks have decided to lock him up.

Chicago has signed Hardman to a two-year contract extension through the 2023-24 season. The deal will carry an average annual value of $800K. PuckPedia reports that it is one-way, and will pay Hardman $750K in 2021-22 and $850K in 2022-23.  That means the young forward will be an inexpensive option for the next three years even if he finds a full-time role on the team right away.

That role certainly isn’t guaranteed, given how many forwards the Blackhawks have brought in to compete for spots. Tyler Johnson, Brett Connolly, Henrik Borgstrom, Adam Gaudette, and Jujhar Khaira have all been added since the trade deadline. Captain Jonathan Toews and young star Kirby Dach are returning from seasons ruined by illness and injury, while even Alexander Nylander will be in competition after missing the entire 2020-21 campaign.

That’s quite the crowded field for Hardman to crack, and given he is still waiver-exempt he may have to start off with some games in the minor leagues. But he’s not there to play for a contract anymore, that part of his professional life has been dealt with early. The undrafted 6’2″ winger is now a part of the Blackhawks organization for the next several seasons, so he can focus entirely on his on-ice performance.

Toronto, Boston Complete Minor Trade

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins have completed a minor trade, involving the draft rights to an unsigned college player. J.D. Greenway, the younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Jordan Greenway, has been sent from Toronto to Boston for future considerations according to CapFriendly. Greenway, who has completed his years of NCAA eligibility, will become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by August 15.

Selected 72nd overall in 2016, the 23-year-old Greenway doesn’t at all represent the way the Maple Leafs build their teams. Standing 6’5″ and known more for his physicality than his skill, he scored just 25 points during a four-season college career that started with the University of Wisconsin and ended with the University of Maine. There was a transfer year in the middle that Greenway spent playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, but even there he was unable to really establish himself as a dominant offensive player, scoring just nine goals in 58 games.

Still, as the NHL pendulum starts to swing back towards size and strength, at least in the bottom-six and on defense, perhaps Greenway could still have a career at the highest level. The Bruins obviously believe in him enough to bring him into the organization and should be expected to sign him before the deadline. A start with the AHL’s Providence Bruins is likely.

Seattle Kraken Take Matthew Beniers Second Overall

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Fresh off of the NHL Expansion Draft just two days ago, the Seattle Kraken were back in action early in the NHL Draft on Friday night. The winners of the second overall pick in the draft lottery, the Kraken had their pick of every prospect but first overall pick Owen Power of the Buffalo Sabres. They opted to take his University of Michigan teammate Matthew Beniers as the first draft pick in franchise history.

Beniers is the top center prospect in the draft class and an elite two-way talent. The consensus No. 2 pick, Beniers is a high-IQ, well-rounded forward. A talented skater who plays a 200-foot game, Beniers has excelled at every level in both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. The dynamic center draws comparisons to Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews, not to mention Seattle GM Ron Francis. Beniers has been a point-per-game player in each of the past three years, including in the NCAA with Michigan this season.

One of four 2021 Wolverines selected in the top five picks, Beniers is expected to join his teammates back in Ann Arbor this season as Michigan chases a National Championship. After one more year though, he should be able to jump into the lineup for the Kraken. Due to his two-way focus, Beniers will be a versatile roster option right away for Seattle and could earn a major role quickly in a forward corps that, as of right now, is not especially deep.

Boston University Hires Jay Pandolfo, Brian Daccord

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July 2: BU has officially announced Pandolfo as the Terriers’ associate coach. The team will also be adding Brian Daccord as a goaltending coach after he resigned from the Arizona Coyotes earlier this year. Daccord, whose son is a goaltender in the Ottawa Senators organization, left the Coyotes after just one season.

July 1: Boston Bruins assistant coach Jay Pandolfo is making a move, but he won’t be going far. According to the New England Hockey Journal, Pandolfo is set to join Boston University as an associate head coach under Albie O’Connell. He will replace outgoing assistant Paul Peart, who recently accepted the head coach position at prep powerhouse Cushing Academy. Pandolfo’s hockey career took off as a standout at BU in the 90’s and led to a long, successful NHL career that wrapped up back in Boston with the Bruins in 2012-13. He now returns to his alma mater as a seasoned coach, looking to win an NCAA Championship as he did as a player in 1995.

The move, while understandable given the history, is still unorthodox. Pandolfo is leaving an NHL assistant position on one of the better and more consistent franchises in the league to take a similar role at the college level. Pandolfo has been on the Bruins’ staff since 2016-17, the year in which current head coach Bruce Cassidy first took over. While there hasn’t been much noise surrounding Pandolfo this year or last, he was once considered an up-and-coming coach, with at least one confirmed head coach interview with the New York Islanders in 2018. Now, he moves away from that possibility and into the college game. If he can help right the ship at BU, where the Terriers have struggled to find great success in recent years despite some of the best talent in college hockey, Pandolfo could quickly grab an NCAA head coaching job.

As for the Bruins, the team is not without a number of suitable internal candidates. Development coach Chris Kelly and scouting coordinator P.J. Axelsson are both former players who would be good for the role, as would highly-regarded AHL head coach Jay Leach, who interviewed for the Arizona Coyotes’ vacancy recently. It is also worth noting that Rick Tocchet, now out of head coach options despite considerable interest, was briefly a Bruin during his playing days and skated alongside Team President Cam Neeley and GM Don Sweeney. 

Snapshots: Eichel, Schmidt, Warsofsky

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Things haven’t really changed in the Jack Eichel sweepstakes, other than to say that talks are progressing with teams around the league. Darren Dreger of TSN was on WGR 550 in Buffalo today, explaining the current situation:

What we know is that the discussions on Jack Eichel have increased over the last week. To a point where I’m pretty comfortable in saying that Jack will be traded. What we don’t know is where. There are a number of suitors, a number of teams that would love to have a healthy Jack Eichel–put an asterisk beside that because we don’t know yet what direction that part of the scenario is headed. But any team that needs a center, I think of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim to some degree. 

Dreger reiterates that the Sabres aren’t just dumping Eichel and will still demand a high price in return. He’s not the first NHL insider to imply that a deal is inevitable in Buffalo, with Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet recently saying that the Sabres want to move on and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writing that talks were getting “more intense and serious.” It looks like a resolution to the saga is coming and coming fast.

  • It wasn’t great news for Boston University today as 2021 draft prospect Roman Schmidt decided to sign with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. That ends his NCAA eligibility and means the 6’6″ defenseman will not be attending BU as expected in 2021-22. Schmidt, who played minor hockey in the Toronto area before joining the U.S. National Team Development Program, was ranked 58th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
  • David Warsofsky, who spent the 2020-21 season with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, has signed with ERC Ingolstadt of the DEL. The 31-year-old has 55 career NHL games but is a strong minor league defenseman, recording 19 points in 22 games for the Wolves this year.

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