LA Kings: Brock Faber found out draft selection most unsuspecting way

Taken in the second round by the LA Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft, Brock Faber found out that he was drafted in the most unsuspecting way.

Over the last couple of months, I have been researching countless prospects. Even before the Ontario Reign announced that John Wroblewski would be the team’s new head coach and ultimately responsible for developing the LA Kings prospect pool, Brock Faber caught my attention.

The 18-year-old initially committed to Notre Dame this fall, but the Maple Grove, Minnesota reconsidered and chose to stay home to play hockey for the Golden Gophers.

With the organizational needs, I had a sense that the Kings were targeting defenders in this draft class, more so than usual, anyway. Watching Faber’s highlights, he carries the puck through the neutral zone so well, he features terrific stickhandling and has a high hockey IQ.

I love watching his gap control, keeping pace with some of the speedier forwards he faced. He stands at 6-foot-0, 194 pounds, and only figures to get bigger as he continues to develop physically. And you just never know how it’s going to play out on draft day, but I was hoping that the LA Kings would target him. Sure, enough.

“With the 45th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Los Angeles selects Brock Faber, defenseman, UNTDP.”

And the way he found out was about as casual as it gets.

I picture these guys huddled around a tv with their families, but obviously Faber can’t skip collegiate practice in what felt like one of the longest Day 2’s ever in the NHL Draft.

Faber’s offense will come as he continues to develop his game, but he’s shown flashes playing under Wroblewski. Last season, he scored 3 goals with 9 assists in 12 games. In USHL play, he tallied a goal with 8 eights in 19 games.

Assuming he continues to develop linearly, Faber is going to be a terrific young defender in just a couple of years at the NHL level.