"I would agree with that," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of Fabbro's assessment of his game. "I think the big picture of Dante's game is pretty strong and more of what we want… The thing I really like about him right now is that his evaluation of his own game is bang on. Like, if [Preds Assistant Coach] Todd Richards goes and talks to him, says, 'What do you think of your game last night?' Lots of times he's very accurate. It's not general statements that say, 'I didn't have the best night in these areas, these components of my game were strong.' So again, I think another evolution of maturity for him, and the willingness and desire for him to get better at the areas that he needs to continue to do is a good sign."
Of course, skating with a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman doesn't hurt matters either, and Fabbro has noticed a difference in being able to play alongside Josi with regularity.
"You look at a Norris-winning defenseman like that, and you can definitely pick his brain on certain things he does out there," Fabbro said of Josi. "He's a different player than I am, and he's obviously world-class, so just being able to learn off of him and being able to read off of him has definitely helped me quite a bit. Just him talking to me on the ice has kind of calmed me down to just get out there and just kind of do my thing and make the right plays."
While Fabbro has seen the benefits of skating with his defense partner, the feeling is mutual on the left side. Josi is having one of the best starts to a season of his career and is at or near the top of the League when it comes to offensive output by a defenseman, and the captain believes Fabbro has plenty to do with that success.
"Well, I think he's playing really well defensively and he's really solid," Josi said of Fabbro. "What I benefit the most from playing with him is his puck poise. The way he makes plays back there he's so poised with the puck, and he hits me a lot in stride. He makes a great outlet pass and allows me to jump [into the play]. His overall game is really good right now. I love playing with him. He's awesome, and I think he's been [playing] really consistent this year, too."
In the grand scheme of things, Fabbro's career is still in its infancy stages, but he's finding his way. A little adversity never hurt anyone, and he's become stronger for it.
Now, Fabbro hopes the major growing pains are behind him. If the last two months are any indication, they are.
"Last year was unfortunate, but it was the way it was going," Fabbro said. "Getting hurt and our team starting to win and you're going to the playoffs at that point of the year, I just had to be a great teammate and cheer the guys on in any way I could… But I think this year, this summer, I've been really focused on skating and just getting myself ready to have a good season this year. So far, it's gone well. But I'd obviously like to produce a little bit more… But the team's winning, we're playing well and I'm really happy with that."
