Dante Fabbro

Dante Fabbro (born June 20, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2016 NHL entry draft by the Nashville Predators.

Playing career Fabbro was originally drafted by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round (8th overall) of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, but decided to play with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL to retain his NCAA eligibility. During the 2015–16 BCHL season, Fabbro was named an alternate captain and ended the season being named the best defenceman in the league. He committed to play for Boston University for the 2016–17 season before being drafted 17th overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft. During his sophomore season, Fabbro was selected for the Hockey East Second All-Star Team after coming in second among Hockey East defencemen in points.

On March 27, 2019, Fabbro signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators. He made his NHL debut a few days later on March 30, in a 5–2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and recorded his first career NHL goal on April 9.

On March 8, 2024, Fabbro signed a one-year contract extension with the Predators. In the season, Fabbro was reduced to a depth role on the blueline, going scoreless through 6 appearances. On November 10, 2024, Fabbro's seven year tenure with the Predators ended after he was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On June 29, 2025 he signed a four-year, $16.5 million extension with the Blue Jackets.

International play

Fabbro made his first World Juniors appearance when he was selected to represent Canada junior team at the 2017 World Junior Championships. The following year, Fabbro was selected as an alternate captain for Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championships, where he helped guide them to a gold medal.

On April 29, 2019, following his first playoff experience with the Predators, Fabbro was named to the Canada senior team for the 2019 World Championship. He helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the silver medal on May 26, 2019. He finished the tournament posting one goal and two assists in nine games.

Personal life Fabbro is the youngest of three children born to Tina and Steve Fabbro.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2013–14 Langley Rivermen BCHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2014–15 Penticton Vees BCHL444293316214111510 2015–16Penticton VeesBCHL4514536730110882 2016–17 Boston University HE366121816 — — — — — 2017–18 Boston University HE 38 9 20 29 22 — — — — — 2018–19 Boston University HE 38 7 26 33 39 — — — — — 2018–19 Nashville Predators NHL 4 1 0 1 0 6 0 1 1 0 2019–20 Nashville Predators NHL 64 5 6 11 38 4 0 0 0 2 2020–21 Nashville Predators NHL 40 2 10 12 23 — — — — — 2021–22 Nashville Predators NHL 66 3 21 24 24 4 0 0 0 4 2022–23 Nashville Predators NHL 79 2 9 11 50 — — — — — 2023–24 Nashville Predators NHL 56 3 10 13 24 3 0 0 0 0 2024–25 Nashville Predators NHL 6 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2024–25 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 62 9 17 26 40 — — — — — 2025–26 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 74 5 6 11 33 — — — — —NHL totals 451 30 79 109 232 17 0 1 1 6

International

Awards and honours Award Year RefBCHL All-Rookie Team 2015 RBC Cup Top Defenceman 2015 First All-Star Team 2016 Top Defenceman 2016 CJHL Western All-Star Team 2016 CJHL Top Defenceman 2016College HE Second All-Star Team 2018, 2019 New England D1 All-Stars 2018