Faber, 21 (8/22/02), recorded 47 points (8-39=47), 28 penalty minutes (PIM) and 150 blocked shots in 24:58 of time on ice (TOI) while playing in all 82 games as a rookie in 2023-24. The 6-foot-1 native of Maple Grove, Minn., led all NHL rookies in TOI (6th among all NHL skaters) and blocked shots, ranked T-1st in assists, T-2nd in points and third with 13 power-play assists (PPA). Faber was named NHL Rookie of the Month in January after posting 13 points (2-11=13) in 14 games, including a six-game point streak (2-7=9) from Jan. 15-25 that marked the longest streak by a rookie defenseman in franchise history. Faber finished the season with 2,047:53 of TOI, the most by an NHL rookie since the 2000-01 season and the fifth-highest total among all NHL players last season. He skated a career-high 33:25 of TOI vs. Montreal on Dec. 21, the highest single-game total by an NHL skater last season and third-highest total by an NHL rookie since the 2000-01 season. He set single-season rookie franchise records for most assists, blocked shots and TOI. Faber’s point total was also the most all-time by a Wild rookie defenseman and the second-highest total by a rookie in franchise history (Kirill Kaprizov, 51). Faber finished second in the voting for the 2023-24 Calder Memorial Trophy and was named to the 2023-24 NHL All-Rookie Team, becoming one of four players in franchise history to receive the honor (Jonas Brodin, 2012-13; Kaprizov, 2020-21; Marco Rossi, 2023-24).
Faber made his NHL debut with the Wild on April 10, 2023, vs. Chicago, and played in the last two regular-season games of the 2022-23 season. He then skated in all six of the team’s games during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, recording a plus-two rating and averaging 14:33 of TOI. Faber played three seasons (2020-23) of collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota, finishing with 53 points (7-46=53), 38 PIM, a plus-54 rating and 130 blocked shots in 97 career games, and served as team captain his final season in 2022-23. Faber was a 2022-23 AHCA/CCM Hockey All-America West First Team honoree, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year recipient (2021-22, 22-23), a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection (2021-22, 22-23) and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2021-22, 22-23). He helped the Golden Gophers win two Big Ten Regular-Season Championships (2021-22, 22-23) and earn three berths in the NCAA tournament, including consecutive NCAA National Frozen Four appearances during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 postseasons. Internationally, Faber captained the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording two points (1-1=2) and a plus-10 rating in five games, and tallied five assists in seven games to help the U.S. win the gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also represented the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he tallied one assist in four games.
Originally selected in the second round (45th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, Faber was traded by Los Angeles, along with a first-round pick in 2022 NHL Draft (Liam Ohgren), to the Wild on June 29, 2022, in exchange for forward Kevin Fiala.
