Brock Faber has a presence that precedes him.
His loud, cheerful voice fills the room before he even steps in. You can’t help but look towards the door as he walks in, wearing his big glasses and an even bigger smile. Faber, at 22, is magnetic and feels more like a character from a movie than an NHL defenseman. He’s confident without being arrogant, a quality not often seen in young players who usually speak in clichés.
Faber’s confidence might come from his close-knit family in Maple Grove, Minnesota. His sister Paige, who loved hockey despite her cognitive disability, was his inspiration. Growing up playing hockey with her on their backyard rink taught him to appreciate every moment of his career. After playing college hockey at the University of Minnesota, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings but traded to the Wild before turning pro. This hometown hero never had to leave home to chase his dreams .
In his rookie season with the Wild, Faber gained years of experience quickly due to injuries on the team that forced him into heavy playtime. He set records for average time on ice (24:58) and total minutes played (2047:53). Facing top forwards right away taught him valuable lessons about defending against elite players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Faber’s Rookie Season:
“I’ve learned so much about how tough it is to defend,” Faber shared during an NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas earlier this month. “You can’t learn how to handle a 2-on-1 against McDavid and Draisaitl during off-season training; you learn by doing.” Last season, he faced high-quality competition and helped keep the Wild competitive at 5-on-5 play despite missing out on playoffs.
Fans might think it’s amazing how quickly he’s grown as both a defender and an offensive player.
Jared Spurgeon noticed Faber becoming more confident offensively as well. Initially focused on defense, Faber gradually started contributing more points—one goal and eight points through 20 games turned into seven goals and 39 points over the next 62 games. Despite playing hurt with cracked ribs for two months at season’s end, he didn’t miss any games because it mattered deeply to him.
“People said I should have been shut down when we were out of playoff contention,” said Faber. “But I wanted to show up for my team no matter what.” The Wild ensured he wasn’t risking severe injury; it was painful but not dangerous for him to continue playing.
Spurgeon sees leadership qualities in Faber already: “He’s mature beyond his years and treats everyone with respect,” Spurgeon said over the phone this week while recovering from hip surgery himself .
The Wild extended Faber’s contract for eight years at $8.5 million annually—a sign they see future captain potential in him too! Even Spurgeon agrees that someday soon enough it’ll be time for someone else wear ‘C’.
What will next season bring? Will there be sophomore slump? Not likely if you ask Brock himself! He believes staying strong defensively means avoiding those pitfalls others worry about when focusing solely on scoring stats alone instead aiming make impact whether scoring hat-trick or just breaking puck out great!
What do you think? Will Brock continue impressing us all?
