Brock Faber Out Indefinitely After Suffering Fractured Skull

The Minnesota Wild will begin their 2026 NHL season without defenseman Brock Faber, who has been ruled out indefinitely after fracturing his skull during a preseason game last Friday. The team announced the injury Tuesday, four days after Faber was struck by a puck near his left ear.

Faber underwent surgery to repair the fracture, according to General Manager Bill Guerin. "Brock's at home. He's doing well. He's just resting, and we're going to leave it at that," Guerin said. "He just had a serious surgery and an injury, so we'll update you guys when the time's right. But he's doing well. He's doing really well, which is good news. And we'll just follow the doctors' leads."

Faber, 24, fell to the ice immediately after being hit by a shot from the point against the Dallas Stars at Grand Casino Arena. He skated off the ice under his own power and returned to the game for a few shifts before his condition worsened, leading to his removal and transport to a hospital.

There had been significant excitement surrounding the Wild for the upcoming season, particularly the prospect of Faber playing alongside star defenseman Quinn Hughes. The two players, who were teammates on the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, had quickly developed chemistry.

"We don't always think the game the same way. Sometimes completely opposite, but the way he uses his feet allows me to read off him so easily, and vice versa," Faber had said earlier in training camp. "I think just that skating aspect allows me to be as aggressive as I want defensively and him to be as aggressive as he wants offensively."

Hughes will now be paired with veteran Jared Spurgeon to start the season. "He's a special player who makes a lot of plays look easy that aren't," Spurgeon said of Faber. "Just be there to help out."

Faber recorded a career-high 51 points in 80 games last season, skating the ninth-most minutes of any player in the NHL. His absence is expected to leave a significant void. "You don't recover from it. He's that good of a player," Hughes said of Faber. "You're going to miss him, but in saying that, we've got a good team, we've got a lot of depth, and we'll just have to do our best. I think we've got a lot of great players in here."

Hughes also addressed his own contract situation, entering the final year of his deal with no extension in place. He stated his focus remains on the upcoming season. "Today's Tuesday. The season starts on Thursday, so we'll see," Hughes said when asked about negotiations. "It doesn't really faze me, I'll be ready to play Thursday, and I'm expecting to be at my best."

Reflecting on the risks inherent in professional hockey, Hughes acknowledged a level of apprehension before each game. "To be completely honest, I think any game I go into I'm a little nervous just because anything can happen. I don't know if there's going to be a game where I go into the national anthem where I'm like completely at ease, but that's the sport we decided to play. I think that the league does a really good job of keeping the guys safe."