Fantilli determined to make most of top-six chance with Team Canada

TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. Team Canada practised at the Garcelon Civic Centre in St. Stephen, N.B., on Thursday. 

Team Canada's second-youngest player finds himself skating on the second line. Michigan freshman Adam Fantilli is lining up beside Kamloops Blazers centre Logan Stankoven, the reigning Canadian Hockey League player of the year, and Arizona Coyotes right winger Dylan Guenther, who has the most National Hockey League experience on the roster. 

"Stanks and Guener are phenomenal," Fantilli said. "I got to do everything I can to stay where I am. It's a bit of an honour to be given that type of role right now and I will try and execute the best I can." 

It's tough for draft-eligible players to make Team Canada let alone play in the top six. But Fantilli, who turned 18 in October, is off to a fantastic start in the NCAA with 11 goals and 15 assists in 16 games. 

"Hard to find someone who can skate, play with the puck and have such good hands while playing with that size," Guenther said. 

"His skating is what surprises me the most," Stankoven said. "Obviously, a great puck handler, too, and has a great shot, but he's just so fast for a big guy. He has those long strides so he can take defenders wide." 

Fantilli stands 6-foot-2, 195 pounds and isn't afraid to throw his weight around on the ice. 

"He works hard and is willing to get in those dirty areas," noted Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman Kevin Korchinski. "He's moving his feet and battling hard in the corners. A guy with that much skill and love for the game, it makes for a special player."

Fantilli played for Canada at the under-18 World Championship in April, picking up one goal and five assists in six games while lining up beside draft-class rival Connor Bedard. The World Juniors, though, are a different beast. And, unlike Bedard, Fantilli is making his debut on this stage. 

"He makes great decisions on the offensive side," said Canada coach Dennis Williams before adding a caveat. "Sometimes they're maybe a little bit loose for what we like, but definitely has the skill and speed."

What the coach likes is that the college student also appears to be a student of the game.  

"He asks the right questions," said Williams. "He's really engaged the last three, four days. I had great conversations with him regarding what we want to see out of him, what we want to see out of our play."

Williams notes that Fantilli's creativity is among the best in the group. So, the potential for what he can do beside Stankoven and Guenther is high. 

"There's a lot of firepower between those three," said Williams. "With Logan in the middle of the ice, he's always in the right position. He's underneath the puck on breakouts. He's very dependable in all three zones. And then Dylan with his speed and creativity and skill, I think him and Fantilli play kind of a little bit of the same. They have the same kind of stature out there with the way they can slow down the game and then pick up the game and play with pace. There's a lot to like there. It will be a continuing evaluation for us to see where things shake out."

Fantilli's focus is on the fundamentals. 

"Executing my passes," he said. "Working as hard as I can. Following the positional structure to the best of my abilities and just trying to stay disciplined."

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Stankoven entered the season looking to shoot more. 

"You want to shoot the puck lots, but if a play's there you're going to make the right play," the 5-foot-8, 170-pound centre said. "You don't want to force too many shots, but if I have a good chance to rip it, I'm going to try and rip it." 

Stankoven is averaging 6.3 shots per game, which is up from 5.5 last year. The mindset change, which was requested by the Dallas Stars player development staff, remains a work in progress. 

"There's been moments in the season where I can put the puck at the net a bit more," he admits.

Stankoven is certainly putting himself in position to shoot by going hard to the net. 

"You guys saw the battle drills yesterday," Fantilli said. "He plays like he's 6-foot-4. His compete level is through the roof."

When the games got tougher during the summer World Juniors, Stankoven raised his level. He produced three goals and three assists in the three knockout stage games. It was his feisty play in overtime that led to the golden goal by Kent Johnson.  

Stankoven now appears to be a contender to wear a letter in Halifax. 

"It'd be nice to be in the leadership conversation," the Blazers captain said. "But that doesn't change how I play the game and how I approach my teammates and who I am. I try and be the hardest-working player on the ice." 

Williams wants to name the leadership group before the pre-tournament game on Monday. 

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Guenther has produced 11 points in 21 games with the Coyotes this season. 

"He's so smart with the puck," said Fantilli. "He plays like a pro right now. He treats the game like a pro. You can tell being up for as long as he has, he's been learning a lot and he's going to bring a lot to this team." 

What was Guenther's welcome-to-the-NHL moment? 

"Playing Alex Ovechkin," he said. "I played against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl too, but I played Ovechkin earlier [in his 10th game on Nov. 5]. I remember lining up for the faceoff and he leaned into me and he's a big body. Playing against him was pretty cool. That's something I'll never forget. Yeah, 800 goals, that's absurd. I remember coming out for warmups and looking over and seeing him. It was special."

Guenther (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) did his best to hold his own against Ovechkin (6-foot-3, 238 pounds).

"He's huge," Guenther said with a smile. "He's like a fridge and he leaned into me on the draw and I was, like, I need to stand my ground and get a nice wide stance."

Ovechkin also made a big impression on defenceman Brandt Clarke, who has suited up in nine games with the Los Angeles Kings. 

"It was pretty remarkable seeing that guy on the ice," Clarke said. "He's 38-years-old playing. We took a double minor and I think he played all four minutes of it so it was pretty funny ... I have my money on him passing [Wayne] Gretzky, but we'll see what happens." 

Seattle Kraken centre Shane Wright has yet to play the Capitals, but he did get a chance to go up against childhood idol Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 5.

"He's always been my favourite player my whole life and you step on the ice and you see him lining up," Wright said with a sparkle in his eyes. "It's hard to describe that feeling."

Team Canada's three NHL players have been fielding plenty of questions from their teammates.  

"I'm informing the guys," said Clarke. "I was talking to a lot of the guys on the power play saying, 'This is what [Kevin] Fiala does. This is what [Adrian] Kempe does. This is what these guys do.' Even when I'm not playing with the Kings, [coach] Todd McLellan and our [defence] coach Trent Yawney, they always say, 'Go in the power play meeting, you can learn a lot.' I have learned a lot. I'm using that wisdom."

"They're just asking about rinks and players and, 'How good is this guy?'" Guenther said. "My first games were against Boston, Toronto and Montreal so those are pretty big markets. Those are big, loud places to play so those come up. It's cool for me to be able to share that with these guys."

With the Coyotes opening with a road-heavy schedule while Mullett Arena was being prepped, Guenther has already suited up in 18 NHL arenas. Does he have a favourite so far? 

"I was talking with Banker [Kamloops centre Caedan Bankier] about this today," Guenther said. "He was asking me. I liked Vegas. It's kind of like a party in there. I remember playing there in pre-season and it was pretty much sold out."

All the road games actually helped Guenther. 

"I was nervous coming in and a little bit starstruck, but as we went along I got more comfortable," he said. "I think sometimes I was just trying to dip my toes in and get them wet, I mean, especially my first few games. I began to get more comfortable playing every game and started to build some chemistry. Playing on the road for so long you're with the guys at all times so once I got more comfortable off the ice it helped my on-ice chemistry, too." 

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Fantilli and Bedard are garnering a lot of attention, but Team Canada also has a youngster on the back end. Korchinski, the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in July's draft, is the only 18-year-old on Canada's blue line. 

"He glides out there," gushed Williams, who coaches the Everett Silvertips in the WHL. "He's a great skater. I've seen him quite a bit so I know what that's all about. He's just such an intelligent hockey player. He can surf down and kill plays quickly. He can get back fast. He moves pucks quickly. He's real good at walking a line and finding a lane there to shoot at. He's not someone that needs a big slap shot. He can really walk and really snap pucks well."

Korchinski's Thunderbirds eliminated Stankoven's Blazers in a seven-game series in the WHL playoffs last season. 

"He's so smart and thinks the game at such a high pace," Stankoven said. "It's tough playing against a guy like that. He moves the puck fast and can produce offence from the back end." 

Korchinski is skating on Canada's third pair and quarterbacking the second power-play unit and certainly doesn't look like the third youngest player on the ice. 

"He's putting in an honest investment into playing without the puck and playing on the defensive side and making sure that we are closing quickly and we are physical," said Williams. "Sometimes these players, not saying that they get a free pass back home, but it's a lot different playing in the CHL versus this tournament. So, expectations ramp up in all facets of the game with and without the puck and he's definitely made a good adjustment so far." 

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Fantilli let his Michigan 'mates at Team USA's camp, including close pal Rutger McGroarty, know that there won't be much talking through the tournament. 

"He's one of my best friends at school, but right now we're throwing on opposite jerseys so we know what that means," Fantilli said. "It's been pretty much radio silence."

Fantilli is the only NCAA player on Canada's roster. He's majoring in sport management and really enjoying a coaching and leadership class.  

"We had John U. Bacon, who coached a minor hockey league team in Michigan, come in and speak," Fantilli said. "I guess he was good friends with Herb Brooks back in the day so he gave us some good stories."

Brooks coached the American team that went on a stunning run to the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. What did Bacon have to say? 

"Just retelling the Miracle on Ice story," Fantilli said. "In the movie they show [Brooks] leaving the ice and going into the tunnel, but apparently he just ran into a bathroom stall and started breaking down. It was pretty cool to hear some behind-the-scenes stuff and what it meant to him." 

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Lines at Thursday's practice: 

Othmann - Wright - Bedard
Fantilli - Stankoven - Guenther
Dean - Gaucher - Roy
Schaefer - Bankier - Ostapchuk
Dach 
 
Del Mastro - Zellweger
Allan - Clarke
Korchinski - Matier
Hinds
 
Gaudreau
Milic
 
Power-play units at Thursday's practice: 

QB: Zellweger 
Flanks: Guenther, Bedard 
Middle: Wright 
Net front: Othmann 
 
QB: Korchinski 
Flanks: Fantilli, Clarke
Middle: Stankoven 
Net front: Gaucher