Gabe Vilardi | |
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Born | Kingston, Ontario, Canada | August 16, 1999,
Height Weight |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) |
Position | Centre |
Shoots | Right |
NHL team | Los Angeles Kings |
Ntl. team | ![]() |
NHL Draft | 11th overall, 2017 Los Angeles Kings |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Medal record | ||
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Competitor for ![]() | ||
Ice hockey | ||
World Championships | ||
Gold | 2021 Latvia |
Gabriel "Gabe" Vilardi (born August 16, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted eleventh overall by the Kings in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career[]
Vilardi played his Minor Midget season at Canadian International Hockey Academy, where he was exposed to elite training on and off the ice each day with professional coaches. Vilardi was drafted in the first round, second overall, in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection by the Windsor Spitfires.[1] While Vilardi is a natural centre he has primarily played as a winger with Windsor.[2][3]
Leading up to the NHL draft, Vilardi was seen as a top prospect and was ranked the No. 4 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[4] Craig Button of TSN described him as a big and strong centre with so much offensive upside.[5]
In the 2017–18 season, on January 1, 2018, Vilardi along with Sean Day were traded by the Spitfires to the Kingston Frontenacs in exchange for Cody Morgan and six draft picks.[6] On March 1, 2018, Vilardi signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings.[7]
Due to a chronic back issue, Vilardi did not make his professional debut with Ontario Reign, the Kings American Hockey League affiliate, until November 29, 2018. He earned his first professional point three days later against the Tucson Roadrunners.[8] On December 10, the Kings loaned Vilardi to Team Canada for a chance to compete at the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[9]
Having recovered from his back issue, Vilardi found a more consistent spot with the Reign, playing 32 games in 2019–20, scoring 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points. On February 20, 2020, Vilardi was recalled to the Kings from the Ontario Reign. He made his NHL debut later that night against the Florida Panthers. On his first career shot, Vilardi fired a wrist shot past Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Vilardi set a new NHL record, scoring his first career goal 6 seconds into his first career shift. Vilardi added an assist in the second period on a goal scored by Martin Frk.
As a restricted free agent, Vilardi was signed to a one-year, $825,000 contract extension with the Kings on July 23, 2022.[10]
Personal life[]
Vilardi was born to Italian parents Natale Vilardi and Giovanna Siviglia who moved from Reggio Calabria to Kingston, Ontario.[11] His older brother Francesco played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, and now plays for Queen's University hockey team.[12]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2014–15 | CIHA Voyageurs | OEMHL | 21 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 62 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
2016–17 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 49 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
2017–18 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL | 32 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 14 | ||
2018–19 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019–20 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 32 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019–20 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020–21 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 54 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 25 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 39 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 89 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
International[]
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Canada White | U17 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
2021 | Canada | WC | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
Junior totals | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||||
Senior totals | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
References[]
- ↑ Spitfires sign top pick Gabe Vilardi (en-US) (2015-06-25).
- ↑ 2017 Draft: Gabriel Vilardi driven to rise higher (en-us).
- ↑ "Patrick, Hischier in tight race for No. 1 in TSN draft ranking", TSN, 2017-04-27.
- ↑ 2017 Draft: Nolan Patrick of Brandon ranked No. 1 (en-us).
- ↑ "Patrick goes No. 1 in TSN's post-season mock draft", TSN, 2017-04-10.
- ↑ Vilardi and Day traded to Kingston. Windsor Spitfires (January 1, 2018). Retrieved on January 1, 2018.
- ↑ The LA Kings Sign Gabe Vilardi to a Three-Year Entry Level Contract (March 1, 2018). Retrieved on March 2, 2018.
- ↑ INSIDER: Vilardi Impresses in Pro Debut, Sets Sights on Team Canada (December 13, 2018). Retrieved on December 13, 2018.
- ↑ Walker Recalled from Reign, Vilardi Loaned to Team Canada for WJC (December 10, 2018). Retrieved on December 13, 2018.
- ↑ Kings sign Vilardi & Anderson-Dolan to contract extensions. Los Angeles Kings (July 23, 2022). Retrieved on July 23, 2022.
- ↑ nurun.com. Call it the Vilardi wall of fame.
- ↑ FRANCESCO VILARDI. Retrieved on May 2, 2018.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Gabriel Vilardi's player profile at Ontario Hockey League
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Adrian Kempe |
Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick 2017 |
Succeeded by Rasmus Kupari |