Wild defenseman Brock Faber gets eight-year, $68 million contract extension

Brock Faber grew up in Minnesota, and the Wild wants to keep him around.

On Monday, the 21-year-old defenseman signed an eight-year, $68 million extension to his rookie contract. His $8.5 million salary — second on the Wild to only to Kirill Kaprizov’s annual $9 million — kicks in after next season and runs through 2032-33 as the largest extension in team history.

“I’d rather have a guy Brock’s age on an eight-year, nine-year deal, than a 31-year-old guy. He’s not even really in his prime yet,” said Bill Guerin, Wild president of hockey operations, after praising Faber for his maturity. “He’s shown that he’s going to keep getting better, so it’s worth that risk.”

As a rookie, the Maple Grove native played in all 82 of the Wild’s games and averaged the sixth-highest ice time (24 minutes, 58 seconds) among all NHL players and the most by a rookie since the statistic was first tracked in 1997.

“It’s not going to change who I am or what the goal is, which is obviously to win,” Faber said during a news conference at the Wild offices in St. Paul.

Guerin recalled an overtime game when Faber skated off the ice exhausted, and “we were laughing,” having “never seen straighter legs.”

“But then he went back to the bench, and 30 seconds later he came back out and he looked fresh. That’s a gift. Not everybody can do that.”

Faber’s 39 assists tied for first among rookies as he finished runner-up to Chicago’s Connor Bedard for the Calder Trophy, honoring the league’s best rookie. He quickly became an integral part of the squad that he grew up rooting for, with Wild posters, jerseys, and “maybe” even bedsheets.

Even after he was drafted 45th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2020, Faber was spotted behind the Wild glass celebrating a Kaprizov goal in a 2022 photo that Faber knew he would see circulating again on social media after signing his extension.

“I’d argue that there’s no one that wanted to play for the Minnesota Wild more than myself,” Faber said. “It’s incredible for me and my family.”

Faber’s parents were in attendance Monday, and he noted that his sister Paige is “fired up” since they will continue to be able to attend one another’s games.

He will also still be able to make the trip to his grandparents’ cabin, so he isn’t worried about putting his new salary toward his own, yet.

Drafted by Los Angeles in the second round (45th overall) in 2020, Faber was traded to the Wild in 2022 in exchange for Kevin Fiala. The Wild also got a first-round pick, which they used on Liam Ohgren.

Before his standout rookie season, he led the Gophers to the NCAA title game, won a gold medal with Team USA at the world junior tournament and played in the 2022 Winter Olympics. He made his NHL debut shortly before the playoffs in 2023.

Just over a year later, he has a long-term deal.

“It’s a different generation. It’s a different way of business,” Guerin said. “Contracts moving at a fast pace like this is kind of what this generation expects, like this is part of it. It’s moving faster.”

Faber has one season to go on his entry-level deal ($925,000). His new contract includes a no-movement clause and a 15-team no-trade list for the final three seasons.

“It’s extremely important to identify who you think is going to be part of your foundation going forward,” Guerin said. “It’s a no-brainer that Brock is going to be one of those guys, and we want to lock them up.”

Staff writer Sarah McLellan contributed to this story.