Building Blue: Anthony Romani Discusses a Year of Learning and His Move to the NCAA Next Season

Hockey has taken Anthony Romani to some incredible places in his young life, and next season will bring yet another exciting new venue for him to do what he loves best and play hockey.

The 19-year-old, sixth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft just wrapped up his fourth season in the OHL and experienced many new challenges this year.

Romani’s journey included suffering his first significant injury, rehabbing through it, and being traded for the first time. The scoring forward picked up 35 points in 35 regular-season games and then popped off in the playoffs, picking up 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points in 16 games with the Barrie Colts.

Over the past four summers, Romani has prepared for the rigours of the OHL, but this offseason will be much different for him, as he prepares to make the jump to the NCAA and join the Michigan State Spartans for the 2025-26 season.

“It is a super cool opportunity for me. I think when that whole rule change happened, I was excited for it, and it was something I was interested in,” said Romani. “We thought it would be a good option going into next year. As time went on, I talked to some schools. I was lucky enough; when I was injured, I was able to visit Michigan State and a couple of other schools. It was really cool to see the facilities and all they had to offer.”

This next step in Romani’s young life is taken with the continuous goal of preparing himself to play pro hockey one day, and to do it with the team that drafted him. He spent a considerable amount of time speaking with both Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek of the Canucks’ development staff this year. He used their experience to help him navigate through rehabbing his injury and getting traded in the OHL.

“It was my first time having a big injury like that and missing that much time, but it was good for me to learn how to persevere and take on some new obstacles,” said Romani.

“The Canucks’ development staff with Mike Komisarek and Mikael Samuelsson were a huge help for me. They took me out to dinner, and we even watched Riley (Patterson) play with Barrie before I got traded there. They are two great people, and they were amazing players. Those two have been great with how open they are, and they will be there for you for anything.”

Romani mentioned that he found his stride in the playoffs and began to feel like he was back to playing his top-end game. His 12 goals and 24 points in 16 playoff games speak to that.

The decision to attend the NCAA was influenced by Romani’s eagerness to train his body in some of the world’s best facilities. He called it the best option for him to help become the best pro possible, and has already heard fantastic things about the trainers at Michigan State.

As a big basketball fan, Romani is also excited to experience the atmosphere of some Spartan games in person.

“It’s super exciting. I’ve never really been to a college football game, but I’ve heard about them and how crazy they are,” said Romani with a chuckle. “I’m excited for that, and I’m a big basketball fan too, so I know they have a really good team.”

Next year will be another learning experience for the teenager, but he is ready to dive headfirst and do everything he can to develop his game for the pro level in the coming years.

Romani will be in Vancouver for Canucks’ development camp following the 2025 NHL draft and is looking forward to his second development camp with the organization. He made some good friends at last year’s camp and is excited about taking advice from the development coaches he will be working with.

Following training camp, Romani heads down to Michigan State for five weeks of training through July and into August. He is beyond excited for the upcoming year of growth in his game and is eager to get started in the coming weeks.