He’s already got family in the area, so moving to Nashville won’t be anything like a sad country song for Burnaby Winter Club’s Dante Fabbro.
Rather, hearing his name called by the Nashville Predators organization Friday at the 2016 NHL Draft was music to his ears.
The 18-year-old defenceman was selected 17th overall by the NHL’s Predators on Friday, capping a whirlwind experience in Buffalo.
Fabbro now tops the organization’s deep prospect list, after putting in a highlight year with the B.C. Hockey League’s Penticton Vees and as a member of Canada’s under-18 team. His enthusiasm at being drafted by Nashville, and the possibility of wearing the yellow sabretooth tiger on his jersey, was clearly on display.
“I grew up loving the Preds,” Fabbro told the NashvillepPredators.com’s Brooks Bratten. “It’s definitely a special moment for me and my family. I’m honored and humbled to be a part of this organization, and hopefully in the future I can make an impact.”
With Tennessee already part-time home to sisters Gina and Sophia, who attend nearby Austin Peay University on soccer scholarships, Fabbro’s intended home is already a favourite commute for his family.
At 6-foot and 189-pounds, the New Westminster-born blueliner projects as a shrewd puckhandler with plenty of positional smarts.
“He’s a good, all-around defenseman who plays in all situations,” Nashville general manager David Poile said. “This should be a guy who, if he develops the way we feel that he should, in the next few years, he should be a top four defensemen and he should play in all situations. We’re not in any hurry to have to replace our current four, but two or three or four years down the road, this could be the type of guy who would be perfect to move into our lineup.”
Fabbro will first begin the next stage of his development as a freshman at Boston University. Noting that Shea Weber has been a role model as to how he hopes to play the game, Fabbro will be another big B.C. piece to the Predators’ picture, joining the likes of Port Moody’s Ryan Johansen, who was among the Nashville delegation which welcomed him on the NHL draft stage, and Weber.
“It’s just an honor; it’s such a great organization, and to be drafted by the same team [Weber plays for], it’s definitely a cool moment for me. I know my family thinks the same thing,” Fabbro said. “I’m happy with this organization; what they did last year in the playoffs was pretty spectacular, so it’s a huge honor to be a part of this, and I’m looking forward to working hard and going to development camp.”
