To say Ryan Fanti’s first full professional season has been an eventful one would be a bit of an understatement.

But there’s been nothing quite like the Fort Wayne Komets goaltender’s month of March, where two viral clips, as seen only on FloHockey, were making the rounds across the hockey community.

First, on March 10, Fanti squared off with Wheeling Nailers netminder Brad Barone in a jaw-dropping goalie fight, getting the best of his counterpart with relative ease in a clip that’s still making the rounds on social media.

Then, 15 days later, the 23-year-old Thunder Bay, Ontario, native was at it again, this time firing the puck the length of the ice in a 6-3 win over the Rapid City Rush to become the first goalie in the 71-year history of the franchise to score a goal.

I have to say. The call was bang on @Kometsshane https://t.co/eCvieFqKTd

— ben boudreau (@benboudreau10) March 26, 2023

Which one blew his phone up the most?

“That’s a tough question,” Fanti said through a laugh in a cellphone chat with FloHockey. “I don’t know, it’s hard to keep track when you’re getting tagged on stuff here and there with whatever it is. I got a pretty good amount of messages and support on both. I’m just trying to take it all in as it comes, and try not to get too high or too low or anything like that. Hopefully, the best is yet to come here at the end of the year, and we can do something in the playoffs.”

It is perhaps difficult to remember with the events of the past few weeks that Fanti still is very much so focused on helping the Komets, who will be the No. 4 seed in the Central Division for this year’s Kelly Cup Playoffs. 

His road to this point started with the Minnesota Wilderness in the NAHL, and then the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he helped led the Bulldogs into the 2022 NCAA Tournament and was named NCHC Goaltender of the Year.

After a stunning junior season, during which he posted a 1.83 goals against average and .929 save percentage, Fanti earned a spot as a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award.

Though the award ended up going to Devon Levi, it was hard to blame Fanti for choosing to forego his senior season and sign with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, agreeing to a two-year deal last March.

“From a personal standpoint, I had a really good final year of school, where I thought I excelled pretty well in all aspects of hockey, and I thought personally I could make that jump,” he said. “With the success, I had some offers and some ways to pursue that dream, so from an ability standpoint, I thought it was the right time for me to jump, and the situation with Edmonton just felt right.”

For many reasons, Fanti’s time in Duluth was memorable and special.

It was close to his hometown and an area in which he often got to play as a young standout. He had become close with many of his teammates and coaches and appreciated many aspects of the program and the experience.

But he couldn’t ignore any opportunities that would give him a chance to progress in hockey.

It’s so far, so good for Fanti, who made his professional debut in a one-game stint with the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors last season, and he has split this year between Bakersfield and Fort Wayne, appearing in 31 games for the latter.

If anything, this year been an adjustment to the pro game and not being under the same circumstances that allowed him to produce video game-type numbers in college, especially in the ‘E,’ where the game can be slightly less structured at times, and a goaltender has more broken plays or situational breakdowns to deal with.

“It’s definitely been a jump for sure,” he said. “In the E, I think there’s definitely some similarities (to the NCHC) in terms of speed and stuff like that, and I don’t think those two are too far apart. The style of play is different here in the E. Even in the AHL, there’s guys that were in the NHL, or you’re playing with either or first- or second-round draft picks looking to play in the NHL or some older guys who have had a long pro career already.”

Fanti knows his next big chance may not come right away, so he remains focused on trusting the process and trusting his abilities and work ethic. 

He has gotten more comfortable and had some success, and he’s trying to keep the momentum of the second half of the season going into the postseason.

Ryan Fanti preserves the tied score with the breakaway save. pic.twitter.com/lrkzaZYPjn

— Justin A. Cohn (@SportsiCohn) March 18, 2023

Fanti has posted a 14-14-1 mark for the Komets in his 31 appearances, with a 3.44 goals against average and .896 save percentage.

While he’s constantly working to improve those numbers, there’s one column in his stat line that seems to still draw the most attention.

Yes, that’s 17 penalty minutes.

He earned 15 of them in the bout with Barone, getting assessed five for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct to boot in a raucous game that featured 162 PIMs in all.

The unique experience was one Fanti had thought about, even knowing such things were rare for goalies. Ultimately, it was the support of his teammates and the Fort Wayne fans that had the most lasting impact.

While Fanti wasn’t finding himself practicing his fighting skills, aspiring to one day score a goal was a little different, with the personable netminder saying it’s something that had been in the back of his mind for quite some time.

“That’s definitely something I thought about way more than fighting,” he said. “I like to handle the puck quite a bit, so I’ve always known I had the ability. Goalies always do that – screwing around, shooting pucks back and forth at each other in practice or in-between drills, so it was in the back of my head and something I knew I wanted to accomplish in my career, however long it lasts. I’m happy and lucky that everything landed in place, and I hit the net and scored. It’s a pretty cool experience overall and pretty overwhelming.”