Brock Faber (born August 22, 2002) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

for the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Faber was drafted 45th overall by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

in the 2020 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

College

During the 2020–21 season, his freshman year, Faber recorded one goal and 11 assists in 27 games for the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. Following the season, he was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. During the 2021–22 season, his sophomore year, Faber recorded two goals and 11 assists in 28 games for Minnesota. Following the season, he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Returning to the Gophers for his junior year, Faber was named as team captain for the 2022–23 season. He recorded four goals and 27 points through 38 games, helping the Gophers reach the NCAA Championship game. Following an overtime defeat by

Quinnipiac The Quinnipiac were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in present-day New Haven County, Connecticut, along the Quinnipiac River. Their primary village, also called Quinnipiac, was where New Haven, Connect ...

, Faber concluded his collegiate career.

Professional

Faber was drafted in the second round, 45th overall, by the

in the 2020 NHL entry draft. On June 29, 2022, Faber's NHL rights were traded by the Kings, along with a

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

first-round selection, to the

for Kevin Fiala. On April 9, 2023, Faber was signed by the Minnesota Wild to a three-year, entry-level contract and immediately joined the roster of the playoff-bound Wild. Faber scored his first NHL goal on October 12, 2023, in a 2–0 victory over the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

. In January 2024, he led all rookies in points and assists, and was named Rookie of the Month. He ultimately appeared in all 82 games for the Wild and recorded eight goals and 39 assists during the season. His 39 assists were tied with Connor Bedard for most assists among rookies, while his 47 points were tied with Luke Hughes for second most points among rookies. He led rookies in ice time per game (24:58) and blocked shots (150) and was first among rookie defenseman in shots on goal (136) and even-strength points (31), and second to Hughes in power-play points (16). He set single-season franchise records for assists, points, blocked shots, and time on ice by a rookie defenseman. His total time on ice, 2,047:53, was the highest single-season figure by a rookie since the statistic began being recorded in 1997–98. Following the season he was named a finalist for the

Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving ...

and named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. On July 29, 2024, the Wild signed Faber to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension.

International play

Faber represented the United States junior team at the 2021 World Junior Championships, where he recorded five assists in seven games and won a gold medal. He again represented the United States at the 2022 World Junior Championships, where he appeared in one game before the tournament was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On January 13, 2022, Faber was named to the United States senior team's roster for the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faber, Brock 2002 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Ice hockey people from Hennepin County, Minnesota Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players from Minnesota Los Angeles Kings draft picks Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players Minnesota Wild players Olympic ice hockey players for the United States People from Maple Grove, Minnesota USA Hockey National Team Development Program players 21st-century American sportsmen 4 Nations Face-Off players