It was another great season for Michigan hockey. While the season didn’t end the way the Wolverines wanted — losing to Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four — the maize and blue defeated Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament to cap off the amazing regular season.
The University of Michigan also officially named Brandon Naurato the head coach after he started the year off as an interim coach.
The Wolverines got as far as they did due to the coaching of Naurato, but also the sensational talent on the roster. A large part goes to freshman Adam Fantilli. He scored 65 points in 36 games and was the recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award which goes to the nation’s top hockey player.
Fantilli is the third Wolverine to win the award. He joins Brendan Morrison and Kevin Porter to win the prestigious award for Michigan
Here is the official Michigan press release:
TAMPA, Fla. — University of Michigan ice hockey freshman forward Adam Fantilli was named the recipient of the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Friday night (April 7). The honor is given annually to college hockey’s top student-athlete.
He is the third Wolverine to capture the prestigious honor, joining Brendan Morrison (1997) and Kevin Porter (2008).
Fantilli leads the nation in scoring 65 points in 36 games, scoring 30 goals and 35 assists — averaging 1.81 points per game, 0.83 goals per game and 0.98 assists per game.
It is the culmination of accolades for the projected No. 2 overall selection 2023 NHL Draft, which also includes the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year, first team All-America honors, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, College Hockey News Player of the Year, first team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Rookie Team and NCAA All-Regional Team.
The Nobleton, Ontario, native had points in 33 of 36 games (91.7 percent) and multi-point performances in 19 of 36 games (52.8 percent). He has an active seven-game points streak, scoring multiple goals in three of four Big Ten Tournament games for a 7-4-11 scoring line to set a new single-tournament record for goals and points before a two-point performance versus Colgate and a goal against Penn State in the NCAA regionals. Additionally, he scored his 30th goal of the season against Quinnipiac in the NCAA semifinal.
A clutch performer, Michigan was 24-9-3 when Fantilli was in the lineup and 2-3 without him. In 26 games against ranked opponents, Fantilli scored 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points (1.62 points per game).
He started his career on an eight-game point streak to lead Michigan to a 7-1 start and earned the Hockey Commissioners Association Player and Rookie of the Month in October. Fantilli won Player of the Month honors again in February, the only two-time honoree this season. Returning from the World Junior Championship with a gold medal as a member of Team Canada, Fantilli went on a 12-game point streak and helped push U-M into second place in the Big Ten standings.
Fantilli’s 1.81 points-per-game average is the third-highest scoring clip behind only Hobey Baker winner Johnny Gaudreau (2.00 ppg) and 2016 runner-up Kyle Connor (1.87 ppg). His points-per-game average beats recent Hobey Baker Award winners Jack Eichel (1.78), Cole Caufield (1.68), Adam Gaudette (1.58), Kevin Porter (1.47), Jack Connolly (1.46) and Jimmy Vesey (1.39).
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