Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber fractured his skull in Friday's preseason game and underwent surgery Sunday, the team announced Tuesday.
The Wild added that Faber doesn't yet have a return timeline.
Faber suffered the injury when he took a point shot to the head from Dallas Stars blue-liner Miro Heiskanen. He was down momentarily but skated off the ice under his own power and managed to finish the second period.
Here's the moment Brock Faber was injured on Friday in the Wild's preseason finale against the Stars.
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 28, 2026
As noted by @RussoHockey, it was Heiskanen who fired the point shot that hit Faber (in the earhole?), not Sam Steel, like the game sheet indicates.
📽️: @TNTSportsUS pic.twitter.com/tqvLyIlZvf
When asked why Faber stayed in the game after the injury, Wild general manager Bill Guerin said, "He seemed OK," according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.
Guerin added: "Brock is a great player. He's a big player for us. It's always going to affect your team when guys like that are out. The biggest thing here is he's doing well, and sometimes you have to put the hockey aside and worry about the human being."
Faber has developed into one of the NHL's top two-way defensemen in recent years. He posted a career-high 51 points in 80 games last season.
The 24-year-old has been Team USA Olympic teammate Quinn Hughes' defensive partner since Hughes arrived in Minnesota last season. Hughes is now set to begin the campaign alongside Jared Spurgeon, while Olli Maatta joins Jonas Brodin on the second pair. Daemon Hunt and Zach Bogosian are projected to make up the third pair.
