DEV CAMP: Fanti flexing a strong mental fortitude

EDMONTON, AB - Looking 'Fanti'-astic already.
At Oilers Development Camp this week, goaltender Ryan Fanti is already sporting the colours of his new organization after trading the University of Minnesota-Duluth's Maroon & Gold for the Blue & Orange of the Edmonton Oilers.
The Thunder Bay, ON product signed a two-year contract as a college free agent with the Oilers on March 28 that kicks in at the start of the 2022-23 season, but the 20-year-old still found his way to Bakersfield on an amateur tryout to secure his first AHL win with 36 saves in a road victory over the Colorado Eagles just 11 days after putting pen to paper.
In what was an encouraging professional debut for the netminder in the Blue & Orange of Bakersfield, Fanti still had a lot of colour left over from his UMD days because of the quick transition.

Fanti excelled over two full seasons with UMD, finishing his collegiate career with a 20-12-4 record, 1.83 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in 37 starts in his final year where he helped backstop the Bulldogs to a Hockey Conference (NCHC) title -- a conference that boasts five of the top-20 colleges in the United States (Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Western Michigan, North Dakota and St. Cloud State).
The 6-foot-3, 194-pound goaltender posted back-to-back shutouts, blanking Oilers prospect Carter Savoie's top-ranked Denver side in the semi-final and Western Michigan in the championship game to earn the conference title and qualify the Bulldogs for the NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament. Minnesota-Duluth would eventually fall in the Regional Finals to Denver, who went on to win the Frozen Four.
"At UMD, we've been a really good college team the last few years and our goal has always been that national championship," Fanti said. "But to win a conference championship like that is something you should never take lightly. It's definitely something that I'm super proud of and was super happy to have that experience with my teammates and staff.
"To be able to add onto the tradition there and being some hardware back to Duluth, it was something super special and something I'll always remember."

At the onset of his first full year with the Bulldogs, Fanti was forced into taking the lion's share of duties in net under unfortunate circumstances when his goaltending partner Zach Stejskal was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Being the Minnesota-Duluth starter for the foreseeable future, Fanti had to make the physical adjustment of playing a lot of hockey while mentally being able to shake off bad results in preparation for the next time he took to the crease.
"I think like any goalie, once you start playing with some confidence, it keeps rolling," he said. "He was out for the indefinite future, so I kind of knew it was going to be my net and it didn't matter if I let in 12 goals on the first night. I'd be able to play the next night. I think that was something that kind of allowed me to kind of grow mentally and get on a roll."
That fortitude, ability to read plays, and make incremental adjustments in different aspects of his game are characterized by himself as three of his strong attributes on the mental side.
"I'd say something, whenever I get this question, is that I wouldn't say I'm too fancy in different places or that I don't think I have a big weakness or strength," Fanti said. "I think it's something where I'm kind of an all-around goalie. I think a lot of my strength is maybe between my ears with my head."

When the opportunity to sign with the Oilers arised at the end of March, Fanti felt that his experience and success at UMD had prepared him for the moment.
"I played three years at UMD and I was really, really fortunate for my time there," he said. "I'm going to miss it a lot for sure, but I think I had a really successful last two seasons there where I progressed on the ice and off the ice a little bit mentally.
"I think this opportunity presented itself that was a little bit too good to pass up, and I think it was the right time for me to kind of take that next step and pursue this dream."
A quick stint with the Condors back in April gave Fanti a strong first exposure to the level of skill at the AHL level, the travel, and the personnel in Bakersfield, where he's projected to begin his first full professional season in '22-23.
"I'm really excited," he said. "Edmonton and California maybe are a little bit of polar opposites, but I got that week and a bit there to get acclimated to Bakersfield itself and a little bit of the travel, the staff and some of the players there. That was really informative as well and good where I got to be there for a couple of games and just watch and then play on the road to get that experience too.
"That was super exciting and something I'm looking forward to coming up here next season."