Robby Fabbri

At 28 years old, Robby Fabbri has this physical status:

Robert Fabbri (born January 22, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League, a Canadian professional ice hockey player (NHL).

In the first round, 21st overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected by the St. Louis Blues.

In 2019, the Blues defeated Fabbri in the Stanley Cup.

Early life

Fabbri was born in Mississauga, Ontario, to parents Len and Stef Fabbri. He is of Italian descent from his grandparents. Lenny, Fabbri's older brother, is "the most influential person in his hockey career." He attended Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School and St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School as a child.

Personal life

In June 2020, Fabbri proposed to his girlfriend.

Source

Playing career

Fabbri began playing ice hockey as a child in Mississauga as a result of his older brother Lenny's arrival. He soon outstripped his older brother when he joined youth hockey camps and began playing with the year above him in the Minor Atom Mississauga Senators. He began his junior ice hockey with the Mississauga Rebels in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) before being drafted by the Guelph Storm in the first round, sixth overall of the 2012 Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Guelph's general manager Mike Kelly said that Fabbri "has a high, stable, and high compete level." Hunter Garlent is cut from the same cloth as him, but he's a smidgeon a bit bigger." Fabbri weighed 150 pounds (68 kilograms) on the day of his draft but by the time he began, he had accumulated 160 pounds (73 kg).

Fabbri scored 33 points in 59 games in his first year with the Guelph Storm. In a 6–2 win over the Mississauga Steelheads on September 6, 2012, he scored his first major junior goal. During a 9–4 loss to the Niagara IceDogs in November, Fabbri had scored 11 points in 18 games and his first career hat-trick. Fabio and prospect Matthew Mancina had been selected to represent Canada Ontario at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge just a few days later. Fabbri was picked to replace Rebels' first line after returning from the tournament empty handed after losing 6–3 over the Windsor Spitfires, where he had one assist. Fabbri was named Rookie of the Year by the Storm after the Storm lost in the OHL playoffs.

Fabbri was accepted to compete with the Canadian National U18 team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament as a result of his outstanding rookie campaign. He returned to the Storm in his sophomore season with a gold medal from the tournament. In the final rankings of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, Fabbri was ranked 21st for North American skaters in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Fabbri was suspended for ten games after a head check during a game against the Kitchener Rangers on November 9, 2013. Fabbri was selected to play in the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game after recovering from his suspension. Fabbri and the Storm qualified for the 2014 OHL playoffs, where they met against the Plymouth Whalers in the first round. Fabbri was hit from behind by Whalers defenceman Yannick Rathgeb during Game 1, resulting in a 10-game suspension. The Storm defeated the Whalers and Fabbri in 16 games, winning the team their third J. Ross Robertson Cup in franchise history. The St. Louis Blues selected Fabbri in the first round, scoring a career-high 87 points in 58 games, putting him in the first round, 21st overall. After graduating from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, prior to his selection, he said he loved studying at the University of Guelph.

Fabbri signed a three-year, two-way entry-level deal with the Blues on September 3, 2014, but the Storm brought him back to the Storm for his final year of big junior hockey. He was accepted into the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he sustained an ankle injury during the quarter-finals against Denmark and was limited to only 30 games for the OHL season. After missing two months in a 5–2 loss to the Sarnia Sting on March 9, 2015, Fabbri returned to the lineup. In a 9-3 victory, he would return a few games later against the Windsor Spitfires on a five-point night. The Storm qualified for the 2015 OHL playoffs, where they were eventually eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals by Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are the king of Marie Greyhounds. Fabbri was named the 10th best forward in Guelph Storm history, winning 171 points in 147 regular season games at the time.

Fabbri was reassigned by the Blues to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season with the Storm. He was supposed to replace injured Ty Rattie on a line with Jeremy Welsh and Adam Cracknell. He made his AHL debut against the Rockford IceHogs on April 17, where he became the first player in franchise history to reach two points in his debut. He made his postseason debut with the team against the Utica Comets in Game 1 of the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs a few days later.

Following his time with the Wolves, Fabbri made the Blues' opening night roster for the 2015–16 season. He made his NHL debut against the Edmonton Oilers on October 8, 2015, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to score his first NHL goal. He had scored nine goals by December, securing him a seventh position among the top rookie goalscorers. Coach Ken Hitchcock praised Fabbri's goalcoring skills by saying, "If you look at his goals, there may be one that the goalie may have saved." The majority of the rest of the time was just flat beat (the goalie). That's pretty impressive. Now he's up to speed, and he's going to be a threat all the time." His scoring improved and by February 14, 2016, he was ranked third amongst rookie scorers and became the first Blues player to play in a tournament since April 5, 2011. He continued to set records through his rookie season and was soon to become the first Blues rookie since Patrik Berglund in 2008–09 to reach the 15-goal record. Fabbri sustained a lower body injury after crossing the 15-goal mark and was tagged as Day-to-Day by Colorado Avalanche forward Jack Skille. He played four games before returning to the lineup for the Blues' last game of the regular season against the Washington Capitals. Fabbri and the Chicago Blackhawks aided the Blues in their victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference First Round in 2016. He had seven games and finished fourth on the team in scoring.

Fabbri was first named to the Blues' opening night roster for the 2016–17 season the following season. Fabbri scored his first NHL hat-trick on December 28, 2016, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 6–3 for his first career NHL hat-trick. He became the second youngest Blues player to pull a hat trick in a row, just behind Bernie Federko who came close to beating him in 20 years, 269 days. Despite his early success, his season was cut short after he sustained an injury while playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 4, 2017. He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee early in the first session of the season and the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. In 51 games played, he had scored 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points when he was injured. Fabbri underwent surgery in Chicago on February 28, 2016 and was medically cleared to play on July 31. He returned to the Blues' roster for the 2017--18 season, but he was forced to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.

Fabbri signed a one-year, $925,000 deal with the St. Louis Blues in 2018. Following second surgery and being medically cleared to play, the player began. Tyler Seguin, a Dallas Stars forward, said "I know he's a great teammate for the guys in St. Louis, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had a heck of a year" at the BioSteel Hockey camp in August. "He looks good...He's skating, he's shooting, he's doing the things you hoped for and is demonstrating your skill level," Fabbri said at the Blues' training camp, where Head Coach Mike Yeo said he "looked good." Despite this, he was reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, on a condition basis, with the hopes that he would return to the Blues eventually. Fabbri made his return to the Blues lineup on November 1, 2018, contributing to a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored his first goal since December 28, 2016, en route to a 4–1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes just a few days later. Despite his hot start, the Blues were in last place in the entire league by January 2019, resulting in a coaching and goaltender change. Following the change in leadership, the Blues qualified for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Fabbri helped the Blues beat the Boston Bruins to win the 2019 Stanley Cup after scoring one goal in ten postseason games. Following their Stanley Cup victory, Fabbri agreed to a one-year, $900,000 deal to remain with the Blues until spending his day with the Cup in Mississauga.

Fabbri rejoined the team for their 2019-20-20 season and played nine games for them before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings in trade for Jacob de la Rose on November 6, 2019.

Fabbri made his Red Wings debut on November 8, when he took on the Boston Bruins in a game against the Boston Bruins. In the 4–2 victory, he scored two power play goals, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to do so in the team's first game. Fabbri was fined $2,419.35 for spearing Alexander Kerfoot after a 4–1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 21, 2019. Fabbri scored his 12th goal of the season on the team in goals in a 4–2 loss to the New York Rangers on January 30, 2020, after suffering a seven-game scoring drought. Due to two injuries, his scoring slowed down in the month of February. He first sustained a lower-body injury during a game against the Boston Bruins on February 9, and was later recalled after colliding with New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes. Fabbri scored 31 points in 52 games for the team at the end of the regular season, a few games early due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fabricbri signed a two-year, $5.9 million contract extension with the Red Wings on August 24, 2020. Fabbri was limited to 30 games in his first season with the club but he had eight assists, with 10 goals and eight assists. His eight game winning goals led the Red Wings, and he was in a three-way tie for the highest plus-minus rating. Fabbri announced on December 13, 2021, a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Red Wings.

Source