Wisconsin hockey recruiting: Blue-chip recruit Dante Fabbro scheduled for visit

	Class	Position	Shoots	Height	Weight
	2016	Defense	Right	6'0	175
	Team		Hometown		DOB
	Vancouver NW Giants		Whistler, British Columbia.		6/20/1998

Wisconsin may be hosting its first ever Big Ten hockey conference series this weekend when Penn State rolls to town, but there will also be another special guest in Madison. Blue-chip potential recruit Dante Fabbro (Whistler, B.C.) is scheduled to take an unofficial campus visit during the series vs. the Nittany Lions.

A 6-foot impact defenseman, Fabbro is coming off a season in which he was named British Columbia's 2013 minor hockey player of the year. Hockeyprospect.com called Fabbro "A big, physical defenseman who is the complete package."

Fabbro, who idolizes former Wisconsin defenseman Justin Schultz, is playing Major Midget this season with the Vancouver NW Giants and leads the prestigious British Columbia MM League in scoring among defensemen with 10 goals and 14 points in 18 games.

Earlier this fall, Fabbro represented his province at the Western Canada Challenge Cup, when he captained the team from British Columbia to a silver medal. Fabbro was named to the all-star team for his performance during the tournament.

"As far as Dante goes, what's not to like? Like so many kids in our province, you've got a person who does the right things on the ice and off the ice," BC Hockey Hall of Famer and 1,300-game NHL veteran Dave Babych said. "As a young defencemen, I've watched Dante play for a lot of years, and his game is almost vanilla - in a good way - he's always doing the right things."

As with any highly talented youngster, there comes risk. Fabbro was a first-round selection in the Western Hockey League Draft, going No. 8 overall to the Seattle Thunderbirds. He's also very good friends with former No. 1 overall WHL pick and current Thunderbirds forward Matthew Barzal.

Fabbro's BCHL rights are owned by the Langley Rivermen, where he played one game earlier this season. 2014 Wisconsin recruit Matt Ustaski is a center with the Rivermen this season.

At this point, Fabbro is still obviously keeping his NCAA options open, and paying his own way to Madison for an unofficial visit is a good step in the right direction for the Badgers.

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