Anthony Romani

April 2024 – Romani’s production this year is a great case study in how much of a difference translatable skills can make at the junior level. Passed over in the 2023 NHL Draft due to his defensive and physical games failing to move the needle, Romani has come back this season like a man on a mission, scoring 58 goals and adding 53 assists for 111 points in only 68 games with the North Bay Battalion. The main difference between last season and this year has been Romani’s defensive improvements and puck-protection mechanics. He’s become near-impossible to knock off pucks, and has started blending his pre-existent intelligent passing and heavy shot with great forechecking and cycle work. The offensive tools themselves haven’t improved much, but Romani has surrounded them with translatable tools that allow him to get more puck touches in more dangerous areas. He’s definitely worth a pick-up this time around. Hadi Kalakeche