The Minnesota Wild is struggling with keeping players off the injured list. They can add defenseman Brock Faber who sustained an upper-body injury to the list.
The 22-year-old defenseman skated off the ice in Tuesday’s first period of their game. He recorded only four minutes of ice time before sustaining his injury and leaving the game.
The Minnesota Wild played the St. Louis Blues at home on January 7th. Faber had gotten tangled up in the corner with Blues player Pavel Buchnevich. Faber then skated off the ice slowly and down the tunnel.
The Wild has remained resilient and has played hard to make up for players they are now missing. They came out on top against the Blues in a 6-4 win. Minnesota’s current record is 26-11-4 with 56 points. This places them second in the Central Division.
The Wild’s head coach John Hynes was asked for an update on Brock. Unfortunately, he had no update on the young defenseman. Brock’s defense partner, Jonas Brodin spoke about Brock’s departure after the game.
“Not fun when he goes down. He’s really good. A really big part of our team, so it’s not fun to see him go down.”
Faber has stepped up for the Wild this season, especially with fellow defenseman Jared Spurgeon out. The Wild are also down top points leader Kirill Kaprizov and recently got Jake Middleton back in the lineup.
Faber is a tough player. In his three seasons with the Minnesota Wild, he has not missed a game. He spent a few months last season playing with hurt ribs, not an easy thing to do. Earlier this season, he took a puck to the neck that sent him to the hospital.
Faber averages roughly 25 minutes per game and has tallied up 20 points across 41 games for the Wild. He has played in 125 games straight during his career with the Wild. Recording 54 blocks and 15 hits.
Faber was taken in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the LA Kings. He had spent three seasons playing college hockey with the Minnesota Badgers. Before college, he was a part of the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 teams.
He was traded during the summer of 2022 to the Minnesota Wild. Faber joined the Minnesota Wild during the 2022-2023 season where he only played in two games.
During the 2023-2024 season, the rookie had 47 points in 82 games. He had eight goals and 39 assists, tying first among rookies. He was announced as a finalist for the Calder Trophy in 2024. He had led the first-year players for average ice time. His average had been 24:58 per game, totalling 2,047:53 as the season total.
During his rookie season, Faber had 150 blocked shots, ranking first among rookies. He was third in power-play assists, sixth with power-play goals and had 136 shots on goal.
He had broken multiple Wild records during his rookie season, including assists and points by a defenseman. His skill and talent have been a crucial part of the Wild’s success.
During this past summer, he signed an eight-year extension to stay with the Wild. This contract will start next season.
The Wild will play the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, January 9th. Whether Faber is back in the lineup or missing his first career game, is still unknown. Regardless if he is absent, it is assumed that the Wild will step up and do their part to win.
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