A team best known for drafting and developing top-tier defencemen, like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, is not a bad place to land if you’re a young blueliner looking to crack the NHL.
So Coquitlam hockey product Dante Fabbro was understandably elated when he heard the Nashville Predators call his name in the first round of the 2016 entry draft Friday night, chosen 17th overall.
“It is just an honour,” he said in a press conference after his selection, noting Weber is one of his favourite players. “It is such a great organization. To be drafted by the same team is definitely a cool moment.”
Fabbro has spent the last two seasons plying his trade with the Penticton Vees in the BCHL, where it did not take long for him to attract the attention of NHL scouts. He scored 14 goals and 53 assists last year — a point total that put him at the top of the league among defencemen — and quickly established himself as a solid two-way player, capable of putting the puck in the net while being responsible in his own end.
The 6’0”, 190 lb. former Burnaby Winter Club player helped Team Canada West win gold during the World Junior A Challenge and he has committed to playing with Boston University in the NCAA next season.
Fabbro told reporters he’s excited to get to camp this fall, meet the team and show the new club what he can do.
“I am happy with this organization,” he said, noting his two sisters attend school 20 minutes outside of the city. “What they did last year and this year in the playoffs is spectacular. It is a huge honour to be part of this. I am looking forward to working hard.”
LUCAS JOHANSEN
Growing up a few years behind a future NHL All-Star forward, Lucas Johansen had to learn quickly how to play defence.
But last Friday, years of hard work shutting down his older brother Ryan Johansen — a Nashville Predator with 227 career points — finally paid off in the form of a first-round draft pick by the Washington Capitals.
“Whenever we were playing road hockey, he usually had possession of the ball,” the younger Johansen said following his 28th overall selection. “I had to learn how to defend.”
And it appears there is still more the younger Johansen can learn from his older brother. Ryan has already gone through this process, having been selected fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010 before being traded to the Predators earlier this season.
“We all know he is going to put his absolute best effort into everything he does,” Ryan said. “I was upset he didn’t go to Nashville.”
But Lucas has the skills to make his own way in the NHL.
He has spent the last two seasons manning the blueline with the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League, where he has made a name for himself with his smooth transitions and strong hockey sense. He scored 10 goals and 39 assists in 69 regular-season games with the club and helped the team make it to the third-round in the WHL playoffs.
“A lot of skill,” said Brian MacLellan, the senior vice-president and general manager of the Washington Capitals, when describing Johansen. “I like the mobility. There are a lot of positive attributes that will translate to the NHL.”
For now, Johansen said he is looking forward to going to camp and meeting some of the players that currently make up Washington’s roster. He added that his draft selection has been a highlight of his hockey career so far.
“There were just so many emotions running through my head at one time,” he said. “It was crazy. It was definitely the best feeling I ever had.”
