30. New Jersey Devils : Kasperi Kapanen 29. Los Angeles Kings : Brendan Lemieux 28. Tampa Bay Lightning : Julius Honka 27. Chicago Blackhawks : Conner Bleackley 26. Montreal Canadiens : Nick Schmaltz 25. Boston Bruins : Alex Tuch 24. Anaheim Ducks : Jack Dougherty 23. Colorado Avalanche : Travis Sanheim 22. Pittsburgh Penguins : Nikolay Goldobin 21. St. Louis Blues : Joshua Ho-Sang 20. San Jose Sharks : Brendan Perlini 19. Tampa Bay Lightning : Ivan Barbashev 18. Minnesota Wild : Roland McKeown 17. Philadelphia Flyers : Sonny Milano 16. Columbus Blue Jackets : Jakub Vrà¡na 15. Detroit Red Wings : Adrian Kempe
14. The Dallas Stars select Centre Robby Fabbri of the Guelph Storm in the OHL
5’9, 165lbs, 1996-01-22 : 18 years old
58 – 45g – 42a – 87p
What can you say about one of the hardest working and talented forwards in the draft? You can say he won the OHL Playoff MVP in a dominating performance. Fabbri is a bit of the unsung one from the OHL, while the hype is high on Ekblad, Bennett and Dal Colle; Fabbri has sort of flown under the radar all year despite an elite year. With the aforementioned Playoff MVP on his resume though, it’s hard to think he will go unnoticed for very long in this draft, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes way before 14, much like how Bo Horvat made massive leaps in the rankings for his playoff heroics. Size is always an issue and more and more we see smaller players tumble from where people expected them to go. Outside of Patrick Kane whose talent is practically unique, guys 5’10 and under don’t usually go in the top-5-ish of the draft anymore. Fabbri has the one thing though that is make or break for undersized players, he has guts and a work ethic you can’t match. He’s fearless on the ice, which is what he has to be to succeed at the next level.
His top-end speed and skill are undeniable and at 18 taking a leading role on a team filled with junior stars was impressive. While not really a defensive player, it’s important to note that he will try to get back and with his speed usually does in time. He just never stops skating at full speed, it makes him a pain to play against.
If there is one worrying thing for me, it’s that he was flanked by two big wingers in Rychel and Kosmachuk to offset Fabbri’s lack of size. Will he need larger players in the NHL to help him out? Will he ever get the strength to compete against the pros without getting outmuscled constantly? The will and skill are all there, he just needs the time and training to get things to fit together.
The Stars have a need for centre depth in their prospect pool and at least the way things have been shaping up in this mock draft, Fabbri is the most dynamic one available. His upside is huge, but there is some legitimate fear about being a bust.
Comparison : Robby Fabbri