Ice Hockey Wiki
Advertisement
Gabe Vilardi
Born (1999-08-16)August 16, 1999,
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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 Flag of Canada Canada
NHL Draft 11th overall, 2017
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2018–present
Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Canada Canada
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 Gold medal icon 6 4 3 7 0
2021 Canada WC Gold medal icon 10 0 1 1 6
Junior totals 6 4 3 7 0
Senior totals 10 0 1 1 6

References[]

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Adrian Kempe
Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
2017
Succeeded by
Rasmus Kupari
Advertisement