Team: Dante Fabbro
Photo courtesy of TheHockeyNews.com

Fantasy Summary

A reliable two-way defenseman with top-four upside.


Observations

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June 2021 – Through a steady sophomore campaign as an everyday NHLer, Fabbro logged top significant minutes on the Nashville blueline. His offensive contributions increased and he appeared to be rounding into the overall defensive pillar most anticipated. Once returning from minor injuries in April, Fabbro found himself out of the lineup as the team geared up for the playoffs. With a strong presence of youth in the lineup, one can only speculate on Fabbro’s situation. Keep a close eye on things as he will be looking for a new contract coming out of his entry-level deal in the off-season. Nicholas Kawka

May 2020 – After a rookie season cut short due to the cancellation of the NHL season, Fabbro and the Predators have much to look forward to moving forward. Fabbro stepped into lineup and proved he was ready to take his game to the next level.  While Fabbro worked on developing his timing and working his way up to the pace of play, he proved to be a durable and reliable option on defence.  The 21-year old played in 64 of 68 games this season and played just over 19 minutes per game, good enough for fourth on the team.  There is plenty to like about his overall game and once he gets more comfortable and sees more opportunity, his fantasy relevance will increase as well. Nicholas Kawka

January 2020 – Fabbro continues to progress for Nashville.  While the offense has yet to truly emerge, he has proven to be reliable defensively and has seen his minutes steadily increase.  While the injury to Ryan Ellis, Fabbro would have moved up in the lineup significantly, but he has sustained an upper-body injury himself.  The overall defensive game from Nashville has been questionable this season, but Fabbro has done an excellent job honing his craft. Nicholas Kawka

October 2019 – As expected, Fabbro made the opening night lineup for Nashville this fall.  His poise with the puck and steady overall game gives coaches the confidence to use him in all situations.  Fabbro should be playing a regular shift on the second defense pairing. While he isn’t known as a significant point producer, he could eventually see time on the second powerplay unit should his confidence build.  It has been quite the impressive transition for the 21-year old defender. From NCAA last season to the NHL playoffs and now a key cog in the Nashville defense core, Fabbro has quickly become an integral part of Predators back end. Nicholas Kawka

 

July 2019 – After the trading of PK Subban, it is a certainty that Fabbro will be penciled in to the top-four for the Predators to open next season.  Fabbro will not have the strongest offensive output in the early going, but in time his production should continue to improve with more reps and exposure on the power play. – Nicholas Kawka

 

May 2019 – Fabbro looked comfortable in his ten total regular season and playoffs NHL games. The defenseman was impressive in limited ice time with the Predators and looks to be penciled into the Preds’ opening lineup for 2019-2020. Fabbro currently has one goal in three World Championship games and is a plus five. Matt Somma

 

March 2019 – Fabbro has signed an entry-level contract with the Predators after a 33 point junior campaign with Boston University. The Predators’ 2016 first round pick set career highs with 26 assists and 33 points on a middle of the road team. Fabbro will turn pro immediately this season and will burn a year of his three year contract if he plays one AHL or NHL game. He will likely start his career in the NHL. Matt Somma

 

February 2019 – Fabbro has had a great season with a resurgent Boston University team, coming close to a career high in both assists and points. The 2016 first round pick also represented Canada at the Spengler Cup, finishing with three points in four games. Fabbro has made it clear that he would like to turn pro once his season is finished. He could be an excellent addition to the Predators’ blue line in time for the playoffs. Matt Somma

 

December 2018 – Fabbro has been a bright spot in what has been an otherwise disappointing season for the Boston University Terriers. The 17th overall pick in 2016 has 13 points in 15 games this season and is on pace to set a career high in assists. Fabbro is close to being NHL ready, so be on the lookout for him to sign an NHL contract when his season ends. Matt Somma

 

March 2018 – Dante Fabbro is beginning to flash that offensive upside that made him such an attractive prospect. Fabbro has put up nine goals and 26 points in 32 games for the NCAA’s Boston University. He leads all BU defenseman in goals, assists, points, and shots. Coupled with his plus-6 rating and 22 penalty minutes, Fabbro is having a strong sophomore season in Boston. Fabbro is a dependable, two-way defenseman. He is smart, poised, and can move the puck quickly while under pressure. Now that his offensive game has emerged, Fabbro has re-established himself as an elite defensive prospect for the Nashville Predators. Playing on BU’s first defense pairing with Brandon Hickey, Fabbro will have continued opportunity to improve his numbers. Tyler Halsey

 

January 2017 – Fabbro is playing his first season with Boston University in the NCAA. In 18 games, he has three goals and five assists to go along with a plus-7 rating. He was an important part of the Canadian WJC team that won silver, this year. The New Westminster native is a dependable two-way defenseman with an offensive upside. He doesn’t panic under pressure, he controls the play and transitions the puck quickly. In the offensive zone, he can force his will on defenders. His shot is fast, accurate and almost every time he gets the puck to the net. Add elite skating to that and you’ve got yourself a complete package. Niko Salminen

 

June 2016 – No NHL team loves high-end blueliners more than Nashville, which the Predators proved again by taking this offensive defenseman in the first round. Mark Allan

 

March 2016 – Dante Fabbro is a gifted offensive defenseman who has shown to be capable of dominating puck possession in his two seasons with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. Fabbro combines agile skating, lateral mobility, and near elite speed when evading defenders as he rushes the puck up ice into the attacking zone. Deadly efficient on the powerplay, Dante is best when he has the puck on his stick as he can spot team mates with breakout passes and release a strong, accurate point shot from the blue line. Though tabbed as an offensive d-man, Fabbro is also effective in the defensive zone as he is extremely effective in puck retrieval, even under pressure, and is strong in transition. Fabbro is committed to attending Boston University in the NCAA next season. Aynsley Scott

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 7.0
NHL Certainty 10.0
Country CAN
Position D
Roster Type NHL
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth June 20, 1998
Height 6‘0”
Weight 190 lbs
Drafted 2016 Round 1; Overall: 17

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2009-2010 Burnaby Winter Club BruinsQC Int PW7 0 44 0|        
 2010-2011 Burnaby Winter Club BruinsQC Int PW3 0 11 0|        
 2011-2012 Burnaby Winter Club U15 A1PCBHL- - -- -|        
  Burnaby Winter Club U15 A1John Reid Bantam6 3 25 4|        
 2012-2013 Burnaby Winter Club U15 A1PCBHL58 25 5378 48|        
  Burnaby Winter Club U15 A1John Reid Bantam5 2 24 6|        
  BCMML AvalancheBC U16 Cup4 0 22 2|        
 2013-2014 Team British Columbia WCCC-164 1 45 0|        
  Vancouver NW Hawks U18 AAABCEHL U1838 22 3961 44|Playoffs6 2 810 12 
  Langley RivermenBCHL2 0 00 0|        
 2014-2015 Penticton VeesBCHL44 4 2933 16|Playoffs21 4 1115 10 
  Penticton VeesWestern Canada Cup5 2 13 2|        
  Penticton VeesRBC Cup5 0 33 6|        
  Team Red U17-Dev3 0 33 2|        
  Canada West U19WJAC-194 1 23 0|        
  Canada Red U17WHC-175 2 13 0|        
 2015-2016 Penticton VeesBCHL45 14 5367 30|Playoffs11 0 88
  Team Red U18-Dev3 1 12 0|        
  Canada U18Hlinka Gretzky Cup4 0 00 0|        
  Canada West U19WJAC-194 0 33 4|        
  Canada U18WJC-187 0 88 16|        
 2016-2017 Boston Univ.NCAA36 6 1218 16|        
  Canada U20WJC-207 0 11 0|        
 2017-2018 Boston Univ.NCAA38 9 2029 22|        
  Canada U20WJC-207 0 00 0|        
 2018-2019 Boston Univ.NCAA38 7 2633 39|        
  Team Canada Spengler Cup4 2 13 0|        
  Nashville PredatorsNHL4 1 01 0|Playoffs6 0 11
  CanadaWC9 1 23 0|        
 2019-2020 Nashville PredatorsNHL64 5 611 38|Playoffs4 0 00
 2020-2021 Nashville PredatorsNHL40 2 1012 23|        
 2021-2022 Nashville PredatorsNHL66 3 2124 24|Playoffs4 0 00
 2022-2023 Nashville PredatorsNHL79 2 911 50|        
 2023-2024 Nashville PredatorsNHL56 3 1013 24|Playoffs3 0 00
 2024-2025 Nashville PredatorsNHL6 0 00 0|        
  Columbus Blue JacketsNHL18 3 47 16|        

Highlights