Why Blue Jackets star Adam Fantilli and Luca Fantilli are best friends 'for life'

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Why Blue Jackets star Adam Fantilli and Luca Fantilli are best friends 'for life'

Colin Gay, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Sat, Feb 10, 2024 ·

5 min read

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Adam Fantilli didn't have a chance to order nachos heading into the third period of last week's Michigan-Ohio State hockey game.

The Blue Jackets center and former Wolverines star spent most of his time taking photos with fans, many bedecked in scarlet and gray. The No. 3 pick in the 2023 NHL draft was in a walking boot as he recovers from a lacerated calf that will keep him off the ice for eight weeks .

As he sat back down and the third period began, Fantilli focused on watching his older brother play for his alma mater.

Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli takes a break from watching Michigan take on Ohio State on Feb. 2 to allow Justin Hogan of Marysville to take a photo of Fantilli and his daughter, Hanna Hogan, an Ohio State student. — Feb 2, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Justin Hogan of Marysville take a photo of his daughter, Hanna Hogan, an Ohio State student with Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli during the NCAA men’s hockey game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Fantilli was at the game to watch his brother, Michigan defenseman Luca Fantilli along with his former Wolverine teammates, play the Buckeyes.

"He's my best friend," Adam said of Luca Fantilli, a Michigan defenseman 22 months older than Adam.

The two lived together for 18 years through stops in New Hampshire, Illinois and Ann Arbor.

Luca Fantilli is trying to make a name for himself with a name that carries a lot of weight in Michigan hockey. After all, Adam won the Hobey Baker Award as college's top hockey player and earned first-team All-American honors in his one season with the Wolverines.

Luca wouldn't have it any other way.

"He is and always has been and always will be my best friend," Luca said.

How Adam Fantilli and Luca Fantilli found their love for hockey

Multiple times every week while growing up, Adam and Luca would struggle to get out of bed for a 6 a.m. ice time at a local rink in Nobleton, Ontario. Once they arrived, the competition would start as they would race to their father, Giuliano, who would lace up their skates and get them on the ice as fast as he could.

"And then neither of us would want to get off," Adam said, remembering the countless times he and his brother were late or absent from their first class after spending extra time on the ice.

Michigan defenseman Luca Fantilli (63) readies to reenter the game from the bench during the the Wolverines' 4-2 win over Ohio State on Feb. 2.

Those extra hours were often spent sparring.

"Most of the time," Luca said, "(you) end up trying to drop the gloves and fight each other, and my dad had to come out on the ice and break it up."

The drill that most often led to such scuffles? Luca, a defenseman, lined up between Adam, a forward, and the net. Luca's goal was to stop Adam at all costs, something Luca said he became obsessed with, never wanting his "little brother" to beat him.

In these one-on-one matchups, Giuliano Fantilli said he saw Luca's natural ability to handle the puck, while Adam demonstrated a raw, youthful energy.

Luca Fantilli is a sophomore defenseman for the Michigan Wolverines.

"Luca, feeding off that competitiveness that Adam had, he didn't have a choice but to step up and match it," Giuliano said. "Or he's going to get beat by his younger brother."

In addition to motivating Luca, there was another way in which Adam's competitiveness didn't work to his advantage as he shot "thousands of times," finding little to no success.

"He would see me getting frustrated that I couldn't get the shot off," Adam said. "And he would let one go through. And I snapped. I'd get so upset that he would let me shoot one."

But through all the frustration and the thousands of shots, Adam improved.

"He helped me get better, and I would not be able to do half the things I can do if I wasn't his brother," Adam said.

Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli has 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season.

Luca Fantilli: Adam was 'a work animal'

The 6 a.m. workouts were just the start.

Luca and Adam attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, before playing together with the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League.

Even before their stint in the USHL, Luca had committed to Michigan. That happened in 2020, at which point Luca became Adam's main recruiter. It didn't take much convincing. Adam committed to Michigan in August 2021, and both joined the Wolverines in 2022.

Luca Fantilli, right, is a sophomore defenseman for the Michigan Wolverines.

In Adam's one season before he was drafted, he scored 30 goals and registered 35 assists.

"It was honestly like he was the bigger brother. I'm not even going to lie," Luca said. "I followed him around everywhere. I tried to (keep up) but it was too much for me. He was just a work animal, and he wanted it so bad."

Draft day was surreal, Luca said. Both brothers grew up watching the NHL, and it was a dream they shared.

"By a mile, he's earned everything he's done," Luca said. "And I knew he would be in that exact place. And I knew that when he stepped in the NHL, he'd be doing as well as he's doing."

During his one season at Michigan, Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player.

'I really miss my brother'

Adam has 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games with the Blue Jackets this season, even as he has faced realities he's never had to before, such as living apart from Luca for the first time.

"Not being around the guys at Michigan, it was tough at first," Adam said before cheering the Wolverines to a 4-2 win over Ohio State. "But we have an amazing group of guys here (in Columbus) that makes it a lot of fun as well."

Giuliano Fantilli said Luca and Adam being apart for the first time has strengthened their relationship, as they have realized how much they appreciate and rely on one another.

Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli cheers on his brother, Michigan defenseman Luca Fantilli and his former Wolverine teammates, during the Wolverines' 4-2 win over Ohio State on Feb. 2.

"It's been a little tough, but they stay connected, they chat all the time," Giuliano said. "They openly tell me, 'Yeah, I really miss my brother.' "

Or as Luca put it, "That's a best friend for life that you have, a guy that will never leave your side, a guy that's there for you no matter what. Adam, even though he doesn't show a lot of emotion all the time, he's there for me any second of any day and he's my biggest supporter, the same as I am for him."

Luca's goal remains the same as Adam's, to play in the NHL. In a perfect world, it would be both Fantilli brothers on the ice at the same time, just like the rink in Nobleton.

"When my brother's watching, I always want to make him proud and play my best," Luca said.

The Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger contributed to this report.