matt deschamps

Hockey in late June??? Well, the NHL Draft wrapped up today and I wanted to put something together looking at where Michigan and other B1G players went in the draft. Then I realized that there were a few items not covered since my last hockey piece, including new insight on the incoming freshman class, non-conference schedule, a team captain, and coaching changes. So let's knock them out in one piece. 

Michigan at the NHL Draft 

The array of Michigan players at the NHL Draft this year is not as plentiful as it was the past couple years but two Wolverines went in the opening two rounds, Adam Fantilli and Gavin Brindley. Also, they went to the same team! The Columbus Blue Jackets are now the hotbed of Wolverines in the NHL, as they have the possibility of icing a future roster that includes Zach Werenski, Nick Blankenburg, Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, and Gavin Brindley. It's not like these are complementary picks either, as the Blue Jackets are planning for Werenski to be their #1 defenseman on a future elite Columbus team, with Fantilli and Johnson being their top two centers. 

Let's start with Fantilli, because as I wrote last time, Columbus was the team that Michigan fans probably didn't want him to go to. Back then I was writing that Michigan fans seemingly dodged a bullet, with the Blue Jackets dropping to 3 and Anaheim in line to take Fantilli at 2 after the draft lottery. That's not how it played out, though, something that seemed to be in the offing in the final days leading up to the draft. The Ducks were considered a wild card in the process, undecided up until the final moments, and the winds were blowing towards Swedish C Leo Carlsson in the last 24 hours. The Athletic's Corey Pronman was the first major analyst to indicate that the Ducks were going to pick Carlsson the morning of the draft and that ended up being the way they went. 

As a result, Fantilli fell to the Jackets, who were more than happy to take Fantilli 3rd overall. In my view, the Ducks made a significant mistake taking Carlsson over Fantilli, but on the other hand, I'm not a draft guru, so what do I know! Regardless, it speaks to how insanely loaded this NHL Draft was that Fantilli, who had one of the best NCAA freshman seasons of all time, was picked 3rd. Goes without saying that Fantilli would've gone 1st in either 2022 or 2021. That's the way it goes sometimes! 

[Bill Rapai]

So what does it mean now that Fantilli is with the Blue Jackets? Moslty it means he was picked by the team in the top five with the strongest desire to "win now" and as a result, you'd think that they would be the most aggressive in trying to sign Fantilli. The Blue Jackets have long expressed a desire to prove that this past year was an aberration, trading for Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov this offseason to revamp their defense. Adding Fantilli right away would be the crown jewel of drumming up hype for the fans. 

Of course, they can't unilaterally make Fantilli suit up for the Jackets next year. Signing a player, especially a college player, has increasingly been up to the player themselves. We've seen players like Adam Fox and Jimmy Vesey spurn the team that drafts them to pick their team, using the threat of not signing to force trades. Adam Fantilli is not going to do that, but the point is that college players hold all the cards. They ultimately decide if they want to leave or not.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Brindley, coaching buzz, roster, schedule]