Wild Defenseman Building Game in Year Two

The top defenseman for the Minnesota Wild is building his game in year two in the NHL.

Jan 18, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber (7) takes a shot on goal against the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild rely heavily on second-year defenseman Brock Faber. A finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie last year, the Wild defender is having the usual sophomore slump most NHL defensemen go through. Despite this, Faber is continuing to grow his game in just his second NHL campaign.

Through 43 games this season, Faber leads all Wild defenders once again in scoring. Coming off an eight-goal, 43-point campaign in 2023-2024, he's on track to finish around those numbers once again in year two. He currently has six goals and 15 assists for 21 points, putting him on pace to finish somewhere between 35 and 45 points.

There was an expectation that he would take the next step offensively for Minnesota, but that leap hasn't happened in his sophomore. Neither he, nor the Wild, should be discouraged by this however. If anything, they should be thrilled with this. Faber's game has grown leaps and bounds in other ways that more than makes up for any offensive stagnation.

What is arguably more important for the Wild is how the team is performing with him on the ice, and looking at his advanced statistics it's clear they are doing well. Faber averages nearly 25 minutes of ice-time per game, and in those minutes the Wild are controlling 59% of the goals scored at even strength, according to MoneyPuck. That is a 10% increase from his rookie season, when the team controlled around 50% of the even strength scoring.

That goes with the Wild have a positive goal differential of +11 when Faber is on the ice at 5-on-5. Simply put, Faber might not be scoring more, but he is a huge part of Minnesota's offense regardless. Whether it's his breakout passing, puck carrying ability, or getting pucks on net, he's doing all of the small things that contribute to scoring. Even if he doesn't show up more on the stat sheet, Faber is growing his game in year two in the NHL and the Wild are growing right with him.

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