Defenseman Dante Fabbro is anxious to develop more layers to his game with the Nashville Predators. He was scratched in the opening night lineup but has since filled in for Luke Schenn who has been out since last Thursday.
Fabbro has skated with Josi in both games he’s been in this season and knows his role in this defensive corps. He’s had time to learn from veterans since joining the team in 2018 during the playoffs.
“I think just their day in and day out how professional they are whether it’s taking care of their bodies away from the rink and coming to the rink and completely invested in what we need to do,” Fabbro said of what he’s picked up from the veterans. “I felt like that’s been a big step with our team this year, just going the right way and making sure that we’re ready each and every day.”
Having the right mindset showing up to the rink for the Predators is exactly what Fabbro has engraved on his mind as he has begun his fifth season.
Fabbro was out on the ice early Monday morning with assistant coach Dan Hinote working on his positioning on the penalty kill.
“The things we were talking about was not sliding through the crease,” Fabbro said. “There’s a lot of things that happen on a penalty kill and things you have to be worried about, but I think setting myself up in a better spot being on the strongside post and not the backside. Just small little details like that can obviously help the penalty kill and help us clear the puck.”
The Coquitlam, British Columbia native is playing in front of new staff in charge and recognizes he needs to hone in on his strengths to make a lasting impression.
“My passing ability. I think I was getting a little bit caught last year not moving my feet instead of just looking,” Fabbro said of one his strengths and improvements. “Just try to get a couple of quick strides in to make an outlet pass. I do pride myself on making smart passes to our forwards and hitting them in speed. If I can continue to do that — putting them in better positions — that allows everyone to play fast and get up on the rush.”
Just two seasons ago Fabbro put up 24 points in 66 games as he was still trying to find his stride in the NHL.
He never saw time in the American Hockey League after joining Nashville straight out of Boston University. Now, with a new head coach in Andrew Brunette perhaps he can tap into a new level with the Predators.
Predators head coach Andrew Brunette during Nashville’s home opener to the 23-24 season. Courtesy of John Russell.
Fabbro feels as though the chemistry on the blue line has been good, even though it’s a work in progress as things continue to jell for every member of the team in a new system under Brunette.
“The biggest thing that stands out is our skating ability and pace,” Fabbro said of playing in a new system. “After the first couple of games, you can start to see a little bit of our identity and how we want to play every night. I think the work ethic and effort is there, sometimes it’s a matter of executing a couple of things.”
Fabbro has also grabbed the attention of Brunette through 32 minutes of play in two games to begin the season.
“I think he’s had two really good games,” Brunette said. “I think when Dante moves his feet he’s a good player and he’s been doing that, so credit to him. He trained really hard in the offseason and got himself in the best shape of his life and I think it’s translated to what we’ve seen these last two games and through training camp.”
As Brunette continues to evaluate what forward and defensive lines he likes there’s room to make a statement from each skater in the locker room.
“It seems like every game we have maybe nine going and three of them aren’t going,” Brunette said of his forwards to this point. “I love to kind of keep everything together and keep it fluid. We’ve had to make changes because guys weren’t playing very well and it’s a hard league not to be playing very well.”
Nashville has the Edmonton Oilers as their next opponent at home and it will yet again be another big test for a franchise turning over a new leaf.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Comments