Gabriel Vilardi was born on August 16th, 1999, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He is a versatile forward who has played for the Los Angeles Kings and now the Winnipeg Jets. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, Vilardi is a right-handed shot. While there isn’t a lot on Vilardi’s early playing days, he was selected second overall by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2015 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft.
OHL Playing Days & Being Drafted 11th Overall by the Los Angeles Kings
Vilardi spent three seasons in the OHL where he spent two seasons with the Windsor Spitfires and one season with the Kingston Frontenacs. Unfortunately for Vilardi, he would miss games each season due to injury, a common occurrence throughout his playing career. This didn’t stop teams from looking at Vilardi, a natural centre and even better winger.
At the time of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Vilardi was seen as a top prospect and was ranked the number four North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. While Vilardi didn’t go in the top 10 of the draft, he heard his name called at 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings.
On March 1st, 2018, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they’ve signed Gabriel Vilardi to a three-year entry-level contract (ELC) worth $925,000 annually. Through the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) rules on an ELC sliding, Vilardi’s contract began in the 2019-20 season due to eligibility to meet contract slide criteria.
Vilardi didn’t make his professional debut with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Kings’ AHL affiliate, until November 29th, 2018 as he was recovering from a chronic back issue. He earned his first professional point just three days later against the Tucson Roadrunners. He was loaned to represent Team Canada on December 10th for the 2019 World Junior Championship where Canada lost to Finland in the Quarterfinals.
When Vilardi fully recovered from his back issue, he found a more consistent role with the Reign and eventually was recalled on February 20th, 2020 to the Los Angeles Kings. He made his NHL debut the same day against the Florida Panthers and scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot just six seconds into his first-ever NHL shift. This is a current standing NHL record for the fastest time to score an NHL goal on an NHL rookie’s first shift. He later added his first assist in the second period on a goal scored by former Kings teammate Martin Frk.
Vilardi Signs One-Year Contract Extension
From the 2018-19 season to the 2022-23 season, Vilardi had spent time in the AHL and the NHL. He eventually signed his first contract extension on July 23rd, 2022, when the Los Angeles Kings offered the restricted free agent (RFA) a one-year contract worth $825,000.
Vilardi had shown flashes up until this point that he could be great, including 23 points (10G, 13A) in 54 games in the shortened 2020-21 season. This was his career high until the 2022-23 season when Vilardi started to break out. In his 63 games with the Kings in 2022-23, Vilardi posted 41 points (23G, 18A) and became a key piece in the future of the Kings, or so one thought.
Traded to the Winnipeg Jets, Signs Two-Year Contract Extension
In one of the more lopsided trades in recent memory, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and a 2024 second-round pick were traded to the Winnipeg Jets on June 27th, 2023, in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Iafallo and Kupari have been key pieces of the Winnipeg Jets’ bottom six since arrival, but Vilardi has flourished as a top-winger for the team.
Related: Pierre-Luc Dubois Traded to Los Angeles Kings
Soon after the trade, Vilardi signed his current contract with the Winnipeg Jets. He signed a two-year contract worth $3,437,500 which is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season. He will be an RFA with arbitration rights.
Even though Vilardi was injured early in the 2023-24 season, he recovered and continued to show his high upside. In his debut campaign with the Winnipeg Jets, Vilardi was limited to just 47 games, but he still posted 36 points (22G, 14A) which included his first career NHL hat trick on April 4th, 2024. Throughout his NHL career, Vilardi has notched 114 points (63G, 51A) in 199 career NHL games.
Internationally, Vilardi has represented Team Canada where he won gold at the 2021 Men’s World Championship in Latvia.
