Gabriel "Gabe" Vilardi (born August 16, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted eleventh overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
| Gabe Vilardi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Vilardi with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022 | |||
| Born | August 16, 1999 Kingston, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Winnipeg Jets Los Angeles Kings | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 11th overall, 2017 Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Playing career
edit
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 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 the 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]
On June 27, 2023, Vilardi was traded by the Kings, alongside Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 2nd-round draft pick, to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois.[11] On April 4th, 2024, Vilardi scored his first career NHL hat trick in a 5-2 Jets win over the visiting Calgary Flames.
Personal life
editVilardi was born to Italian parents Natale Vilardi and Giovanna Siviglia who moved from Reggio Calabria to Kingston, Ontario.[12] His older brother Francesco played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, and now plays for the Queen's University hockey team.[13]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 63 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 47 | 22 | 14 | 36 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 199 | 63 | 51 | 114 | 50 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2021 Latvia | |
International
edit| 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
edit- ^ "Spitfires sign top pick Gabe Vilardi". June 25, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "2017 Draft: Gabriel Vilardi driven to rise higher". NHL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ "Patrick, Hischier in tight race for No. 1 in TSN draft ranking". TSN. April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ "2017 Draft: Nolan Patrick of Brandon ranked No. 1". NHL.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ "Patrick goes No. 1 in TSN's post-season mock draft". TSN. April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ "Vilardi and Day traded to Kingston". Windsor Spitfires. January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "The LA Kings Sign Gabe Vilardi to a Three-Year Entry Level Contract". NHL.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ Dooley, Zach (December 13, 2018). "INSIDER: Vilardi Impresses in Pro Debut, Sets Sights on Team Canada". NHL.com. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Walker Recalled from Reign, Vilardi Loaned to Team Canada for WJC". NHL.com. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Kings sign Vilardi & Anderson-Dolan to contract extensions". Los Angeles Kings. July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "Pierre-Luc Dubois traded from Jets to Kings, signs eight-year, $68M extension". Sportsnet. June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ nurun.com. "Call it the Vilardi wall of fame". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "FRANCESCO VILARDI". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Gabriel Vilardi player profile at Ontario Hockey League