A Wild Few Days For Faber

Photo Courtesy of Minnesota Athletics

Family Foundation
Brock's dad, Jay, wasn't a competitive hockey player. But growing up in Minnesota, he recognized the important role it played in the culture of the state and in its communities.
Enter the backyard rink. By age 5, Brock was on skates on his own Maple Grove frozen ice (handcrafted by dad).
Also joining him religiously on the outdoor sheet was his older sister, Paige.
"I first really fell in love with hockey because it's the one thing that helped Paige and I become so close," said Brock.
Paige, who is two years Brock's senior, is a member of Minnesota Special Hockey. She has a cognitive disability which makes playing for traditional teams a challenge - but she excels in nearly every adaptive sport she tries.
Brock found himself a natural athlete, too; Football, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and even basketball. It wasn't until he made the switch from forward to defenseman in Bantams that Brock saw hockey become his mainstay athletic adventure.
And it was through sports, that Jay and his wife Karri, installed the foundation that helped Brock become the person Guerin and brass have become so fond of.
"It's taking pride in having team success over your own success. That's something, since the day I started playing hockey, that's the only thing my dad ever talked to me about," Brock said. "He didn't care if I scored or played good or great or bad. Whatever it was, it was about helping the team win, working hard and being unselfish. That's something I've always tried to implement into my game."
Team USA
"I take a lot of pride in being able to put on the USA jersey, and I never take it for granted."
Brock joined USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan for the 2018-19 season. In two years with the country's elite development program, he posted 15 assists and 19 points along with 43 shots in 54 games. He collaborated with current Wild forward Matt Boldy to win gold at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, and also earned hardware at the 2018 Four Nations Tournament (silver), 2019 U-17 Five Nations Tournament (bronze), 2019 Five Nations Tournament (gold), and the 2020 Five Nations Tournament (silver). He will be a part of the 2022 World Junior Championships coming up in August.
Oh, and then there was the 2022 Beijing Olympic experience, too.
"Looking back on it, it gives me chills," said Brock, who tallied one assist in four games with Team USA this past winter. "Just all of the Team USA experiences. I think about winning that gold medal for USA Hockey, and going to the Olympics. It's definitely shaped me into the player I am today.
"Once you wear that USA Hockey jersey once, you want to wear it again and again and again. I'm pretty lucky to have been able to do that."
'It's always the Gophers and the Wild'
A picture is worth 1,000 words. And the locally viral photo of Brock celebrating a Kirill Kaprizov goal on the glass from the last regular season game against the Colorado Avalanche says a lot.
Donning a gold 'Minnesota' sweatshirt, combined with the longstanding excitement he has for a team that he will eventually call his, the kid with a closet full of Wild hoodies, jerseys and Ts still gets chills think about the possibility of a FABER Wild jersey.
"I mean, ever since I started playing hockey, growing up in Minnesota, it's always the Gophers and the Wild," said Faber, who noted his buddies have given him plenty of grief of the fan photo that circulated social media - one that Brock admits he had already happily displayed on his phone and Instagram accounts. "Those are the two teams that you want to play for someday. Playing for the Gophers right now and possibly having the opportunity to play for the Wild in the future still hasn't sunk in yet. It gives me chills thinking about it, and obviously the same with my family - my dad said 'shut up' about four times when I called him, he couldn't believe it."
The disbelief is still taking time to wear off. But belief in who Brock is as a player only has gotten stronger by those in the Minnesota Wild organization.
"All the people I talked to about him gave him fantastic reviews," said Guerin. "Just a great character check from Motzko to David Quinn who had him with the Olympic team, they just raved about him. We feel we got lucky."
A right-handed defenseman with a knack for shutting down the opposition's top players, Brock further deepens the blue line prospect pool for the Wild. He will return to Dinkytown for his junior season with the Gophers.
"He walked into my office at the end of the year and said, 'So I suppose you heard the news that I'm coming back. I don't leave until we win this thing,'" recalled Motzko. That's just the character he has. We just love him.
"He's a world-class defender, and he's a world-class skater. It's his work ethic and his focus to get better as a player."
For now, the focus is on another year of collegiate hockey and a goal of an NCAA men's championship.
And, first, a goal of finishing that homework.
"I have to get home and do (that paper) now actually."