Brock Faber Olympic Recap + Photos, Women’s gold-medal game tonight

Overseas, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on the world’s biggest stage in sports, Kings prospect and 2020 second-round draft pick Brock Faber was a bright spot for the Team USA Men’s hockey team. When the Kings traded up in the draft the Maple Grove, Minnesota native midway through the draft, they selected a defenseman that has since developed into a three-zone, impact player. The current sophomore at the University of Minnesota had been away from his collegiate team for the second time this season, after he represented Team USA in the abbreviated 2022 World Junior Championships back in December/January earlier this season.

Faber helped lead Team USA to the No. 1 seed after wins in the preliminary round over China (8-0), Canada (3-2) and Germany (3-2) before Team USA was upset by Team Slovakia by a 3-2 final, in a shootout, in the quarterfinals late last night. Faber was an intricate part of Team USA’s defensive core throughout the tournament. Faber led Team USA in ice time, as he averaged more than 24:30 TOI (the second-most minutes per game in the whole tournament, most on Team USA). Faber has totaled eight shots on goal, recorded one assist and was a +2 in the tournament.

Just last week, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic released his top organizational prospect pools in the NHL. The Kings were listed as having the second-best group of prospects across the league. Within that pool, Wheeler ranked Faber as the Kings seventh-best prospect and described the defenseman, saying “the strength of Faber’s game is his skating and the way he uses it, only taking opportunities when they’re available offensively but playing tight gaps defensively. He changes directions beautifully on cuts. And while he may not beat opposing players one-on-one with the puck, when he’s under pressure he does a great job escaping, keeping opposing players on his back, and then head manning the puck.”

Experience in hand, Faber will now head back to The University of Minnesota and rejoin the Golden Gophers as they prepare to fight for the Big Ten championship and plan for a National Championship run. Faber is not expected to rejoin his collegiate team this weekend and could return to action for home games on February 25 and 26 against Wisconsin.

3️⃣ for 3️⃣! Faber with an assist as all three current #Gophers have points for @usahockey!

pic.twitter.com/zlrQAEqOZQ

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) February 10, 2022

Minnnesota sophomore D Brock Faber (LAK) finished the game with 23:25 of ice time for Team USA. Next closest teammate was Matty Beniers (SEA) at 18:11. Regardless of opponent, coaching staff trusts a 19-year-old defenseman to carry those kind of minutes at the Olympics.

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) February 10, 2022

Brock Faber is having an outstanding game for @usahockey. Effective in all 3 zones. Great future for him with the @LAKings. @NHLNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 13, 2022

Brock Faber is already a star. LA absolutely stole him in the 2nd round

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) February 10, 2022

***

On the women’s hockey side of the Olympic Games, the gold medal game is established, as we all expected it to be. The stage is set for the biggest rivalry in women’s hockey as Team USA and Team Canada will face off in the gold medal game for the fourth straight Olympics. The game is set in Beijing for at 8:10 PM Pacific time tonight, which translates to 12:10 PM Thursday in China. Team USA, the reigning gold medalists from Pyeongchang, will look to defend their spot atop of the podium despite being defeated earlier in the preliminary round by Team Canada 4-2. Team USA enters the gold medal game having recorded 50 shots on goal or more in all but one game in the tournament.

US Olympian Cayla Barnes joined the All The Kings Men podcast before heading overseas, while Olympians Dani Cameranesi and Kelly Pannek joined me on the Tradin’ Jabs program from El Segundo, before boarding the flight to Beijing.