Fantilli heating up, impacting Blue Jackets during playoff push

NEW YORK -- Adam Fantilli is heating up at the right time for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 20-year-old center is fresh off a hat trick in a 7-3 win at the New York Rangers on Sunday, a victory with huge implications on the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"It's Madison Square Garden and it's nice to have a performance there," Fantilli said Monday. "Madison Square Garden is super cool, and it's something I'm going to remember forever. It's awesome."

The Blue Jackets (31-24-8) hold the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Rangers. They're four points behind the New Jersey Devils for third in the Metropolitan Division with two games in hand, and visit the Devils at Prudential Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, MSGSN) in another big game.

It's a safe bet Fantilli will have an impact.

He's scored six goals in his past seven games and 10 in his past 16. He has 21 goals this season, one of five Blue Jackets with at least 20, and 41 points in 63 games. The hat trick against the Rangers made him the first player with at least two in a season at age 20 or younger since Patrik Laine had three for the Winnipeg Jets in 2018-19.

"I think I'm just continuously learning, getting better every day or trying to," Fantilli said. "Things have been going great."

That's a bit of an understatement.

Since Jan. 1, Columbus is 15-8-2 for a .640 points percentage, fifth best in the NHL. Fantilli's 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) lead Blue Jackets forwards in that span and are second on the team behind defenseman Zach Werenski (28).

"I wish there were inside looks at where he was at the start of the year and how his commitment to playing the game the right way, how his commitment to playing defense, his commitment to being a good leader and teammate (has grown)," Columbus coach Dean Evason said Sunday. "We get a guy that goes down (Sean Monahan), and he steps into a role of a real leadership spot. He's done the work, and he deserves to get all the accolades or whatever it is he's getting."

Monahan injured his wrist in a 4-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan.7, so Fantilli took on more responsibility, taking some of the minutes vacated by a player who's been his mentor the past two seasons. He said he regularly picks the brains of Monahan and captain Boone Jenner about his position. If he's not talking to them on the bench or in the dressing room, he's calling or texting.

"I've got a lot of a responsibility lately, and it's come in not the best way," Fantilli said. "You hate to see a guy like Sean Monahan go out because he is a huge part of our team, but I am glad I was able to take advantage of it."

His arrival on this stage has been gradual. Yes, he was the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and yes, he led the NCAA with 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) in 36 games during his one season at the University of Michigan, winning the 2023 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey.

But Fantilli only has 112 NHL games under his belt. He is still learning. The reps are still important. Precious little is instinct against the best players in the world. At least not yet.

"As fast as you want to figure it out as a young player, games played is always the best experience, the best teacher," Fantilli said. "Learning through that, learning to slow down because I'm always a player that wants to skate fast. Working hard, but sometimes you have to work smarter. I've learned that from Boone and Sean the past two years."

Now the results are tangible. Fantilli is playing important minutes in big games and not wilting while Columbus tries to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20. His empty-net goal completed a 5-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings, one of the teams fighting for a playoff berth, in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1. He scored a hat trick in the "World's Most Famous Arena" with playoff positioning on the line.

He continues to deliver as the spotlight gets ever brighter.

Werenski went through the same growing pains. He was a first-round pick (No. 8) in the 2015 NHL Draft out of the University of Michigan and needed time before he found his way. Werenski is now among the favorites to win the Norris Trophy awarded to the League's best defenseman.

He has travelled the road Fantilli is now navigating but has faith that the young center is well on his way to stardom.

"I mean, it seems like he's really coming into his own, really figured out the League and he's obviously got a high-end skill set," Werenski said. "I feel like we're seeing that right now, but he's playing the right way, and I think that's the main reason why he's having success. He's not trying to cheat for offense.

"He's just doing all the little things right, using his linemates, getting open ice and his shot is so good that he's making plays. I feel like the most impressive thing is the way he's playing the game. He's not cheating for it. He's just letting it come to him, and that's hard to do as a 20-year-old kid in the League. Hats off to him."

Literally.

NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report