Brock Faber is Ready for the Next Step

Losing Kevin Fiala during the summer of 2022 was a hard hit for Minnesota Wild fans, but there was one upside to the trade. The Wild gained Brock Faber, who is set to step into Matt Dumba’s position next to Jonas Brodin.

Last Season

Faber played in 2 regular season games along with 6 playoff games last season. During the entire playoff series against the Dallas Stars, Faber was not on the ice for any goals scored by the Stars. While he played third pairing and didn’t necessarily face off with the Stars’ best players, it’s still an impressive stat. Faber was also in the national spotlight for his incredible stick save during the second overtime of Game 1 against the Stars.

Strengths

Faber is a strong skater, walking the blue line with ease. He is mainly a stay-at-home defenseman, although he does put up a few points. He’s also shown just how good he is by seamlessly stepping into the NHL straight from college without looking out of place. Faber is able to read plays and make decisions on the ice without second-guessing himself.

Weaknesses

While Faber looked great at the end of last season, the real test will be if he can keep up with the grueling pace of a full NHL season. Besides endurance, Faber has hopefully also been in the weight room. While definitely not undersized, he’s on the slim size and will need to be stronger to be as effective as possible.

Next Season

Most likely, Faber will start off the season next to Jonas Brodin. That means Faber will be shouldering the responsibility to shut down some of the world’s best hockey players. If Faber can keep playing the way he did at the end of last season, he and Brodin could easily become the best defensive pairing in the league.