The Canadian | Sean Farrell, handyman

(Ann Arbor, Michigan) Saturday’s game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Harvard Crimson just ended, 4-1 for Michigan. Despite the animosity, the whole thing ends with the traditional handshake.

We come here to follow two players, Adam Fantilli for Michigan and Sean Farrell for Harvard. The first is a gifted expected in the top 3 the next repechage; the second is a hope of the Canadian, final choice of 4^e tour in 2020 which has been excelling ever since.

Our two clients are among the last in line. The appointment arrives, and it is finally more than a simple tightening of pliers; it’s a warm hug.

“We are very good friends. We were linemates in the USHL. He’s a great player,” Farrell told us.

Ten minutes later, we find Fantilli for another interview. The compliment returns immediately. “I think he’ll be the steal of this draft,” said the 18-year-old.

“He sees the rink differently. When he did video sessions with our skills coach, I sat in the back of the room and watched. I was trying to understand how he sees the game. I learned so much from him. »

Used extensively

As the interviews go on, Farrell will receive compliments from everyone. From his coach, from Fantilli, from Rob Ramage, director of player development for the Canadiens. We spare you, we could write only that.

In hockey, there’s at least one thing that matters more than words, and that’s minutes. His coach is asked, before the game, what using Farrell is like. “Twenty minutes per game,” said Ted Donato, former glory of the Boston Bruins at the head of the Crimson since 2004.

A question of not being passed over a little quickly, The Press manually tabulated Farrell’s usage time in Saturday’s game. Result of the races: 24 min 31 s. It is enormous. However, the figure would be lower if we take into account the few times he tried a last attack instead of returning to the bench. “At an intermission, I told them to shorten their presence,” admitted Donato after the match.

Farrell spends almost all of the power plays on the ice. Left-handed, he stands on the strip on the right. “He’s the one directing the traffic,” warned Ramage, before the match.

But the 21-year-old American also plays plenty shorthanded. It is also four against five that he registered on the score sheet on Saturday, preparing his team’s only goal from a simple clearance to the neutral zone.

“I form a duo with Matt Coronato and we take a lot of pride from it, assures the young man. It’s good to neutralize the best elements and we still generate a little attack. »

He has a Harvard-high 13 points in nine games. “His numbers could be even better. I think he had three posts per game in the first four games! “says Donato. One of his shots also landed very frankly on the post on Saturday.

All this after a first campaign of 28 points in 24 outings, figures which would have been higher if he had not been invited, at only 20 years old, to the Olympic Games.

Next step: the Canadian?

Like any college player, Farrell is well trained; he therefore did not announce to us, first, that he will agree with the Canadiens at the end of the season. But several clues point in this direction. One wonders how he would progress to play another year with such responsibilities, in a caliber that he masters better and better.

Farrell could still wait to become a free agent and pick his team, but that would mean spending at least another season in college. Moreover, it seems that the relationship between the player and the organization is well underway. Ramage also visited him at Harvard last week.

We guess for a short player (5’9″ and 175 lbs), it’s encouraging to see what the new administration is accomplishing with Cole Caufield.

“At development camp, they told us that they want a team based on speed and skills. Their youngsters are playing well. I’m young and rely on my abilities, so it’s encouraging to see,” he notes.

Dossier to follow in March or April, depending on Harvard’s successes. Saturday’s loss was the team’s first in regulation in nine games this season.