Before they were taken back-to-back at the NHL draft, Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli took golf swings and grabbed fast food together in Las Vegas.
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That was nearly five months ago as part of the league’s Stanley Cup Final tour for top draft prospects. Much has since happened for both after the Anaheim Ducks pulled a draft stunner taking Carlsson over Fantilli with the second overall pick. Both are now NHL rookies with “top six” center roles, each has scored their first goal – including Fantilli’s in a 5-4 overtime win Saturday in Minnesota – and next is their first head-to-head meeting as professionals Tuesday at Nationwide Arena.
Things in the NHL move fast.
“We’re excited,” Fantilli said. “I’ve dreamed about playing in this league forever and we’re all here, and we get to play against each other. That’s the best part about it. It’s going to be extremely cool and I’m really excited to get back on the ice with him.”
Carlsson and Fantilli faced each other during the world junior championships in January, but their lines didn’t match up. Carlsson was on Sweden’s top line, while Fantilli skated on the fourth line for a gold-medal winning Canadian team. Both also played at the men’s world championships, but Sweden was eliminated before the two could rematch in the medal rounds.
A month later, Carlsson and Fantilli hung out in Las Vegas with fellow top draft prospects Connor Bedard (first overall, Chicago Blackhawks) and Will Smith (fourth overall, San Jose Sharks).
“We were free to do whatever we wanted, other than meetings we had to go to,” Fantilli said. “So, we went to Topgolf. He’d also never had Raising Canes at the time, so we found a ‘Canes’ and got some fast food in him. We had a good time.”
This time, it’ll be a different type of fun in Columbus. Neither is the type to talk about motivations related to the draft, but both could draw some if needed.
Carlsson’s had the terms “surprise” and “mistake” attached to his name since the Ducks handed him a jersey in Nashville and Fantilli has a default motivator after falling to the Blue Jackets. A pre-draft recording of Fantilli saying he’d love to play in Columbus surfaced after selections were made, but he was thought to be a consensus choice for Anaheim.
The proverbial “chip on the shoulder” is available, but Fantilli has declined.
“I just remembered that video I’d made back in April saying I wanted to come here, so I was pretty excited to come here and meet the whole organization,” Fantilli said. “I was ‘10 out of 10’ ecstatic with how the draft went for me, so I’m not looking back on it with a damper that I didn’t go two or anything like that. I was really happy with where I ended up.”
He’ll also be happy with a win over the Ducks, but Carlsson isn’t the reason. They’re just getting started, this season and in their careers, so it’s way too early for meaningful comparisons.
“It’s an 82-game season and we’re five games in,” Fantilli said. “I’m here to focus on myself. For me, at the end of the season, if I become a better, more well-rounded pro, that’s a plus for me on the season. I’m not focusing on anything (76) games down the road.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets’ Fantilli, Ducks’ Carlsson ready to match wits
