Joel Farabee (born February 25, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Farabee was drafted in the first round, 14th overall at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Flyers.

Joel Farabee
Farabee with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020
Born (2000-02-25) February 25, 2000 (age 24)
Cicero, New York, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team Philadelphia Flyers
National team  United States
NHL draft 14th overall, 2018
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 2019–present

Growing up in Cicero, New York, Farabee competed with the Syracuse Nationals, Buffalo Jr Sabres, and Selects Hockey Academy at South Kent School. He joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in the United States Hockey League (USHL) before committing to play NCAA Division I ice hockey with the Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey team. During his time in college, Farabee tied for second in goals and third in points amongst rookies while leading the Terriers in goals, points, power-play goals, shorthanded goals, game-winning goals, plus-minus, and shots. In recognition of his efforts, Farabee received the Tim Taylor Award as college hockey's Rookie of the Year, Hockey East Rookie of the Year, and was selected for the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

Farabee concluded his collegiate career on March 25, 2019, by signing an entry-level contract with the Flyers and was reassigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to begin the season. He made his NHL debut on October 21, 2019, subsequently becoming the first Flyers player to be born in the 2000s. By the conclusion of the shortened 2019–20 regular season, Farabee recorded 21 points through 52 games.

Personal life

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Farabee was born on February 25, 2000,[1] to business owner Dave and nursing supervisor Pam Farabee in Cicero, New York.[2] Farabee credits his older brothers Jake and Jesse for inspiring his love of hockey saying, "I always watched them. They were on older teams. They inspired me to want to get to that level."[3] He also credited his grandfather as being a role model for him growing up. Farabee's grandfather Joe Klodzen was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball who, while never making the major league roster, competed in their minor league system.[4] As his father was born and raised in Philadelphia, Farabee grew up a fan of Philly sports teams including the Philadelphia Eagles.[5]

Playing career

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Amateur

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As a child, Farabee competed with the Syracuse Nationals at the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa before playing above his year level with the Buffalo Jr Sabres at the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.[6] During the Bell Capital Cup, he led the team with six goals and one power play point.[7] In the ninth grade, when Farabee was recruited to play junior hockey in the Selects Hockey Academy at South Kent School, his family began taking his future career in hockey seriously.[2] He played on the SASKS U16 National team before joining the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and competing in the United States Hockey League (USHL).[8] Farabee was chosen to captain the team in his second year by coach Seth Appert as a result of his "competitive, all-around game that belies his size."[4] Although originally committing to play NCAA Division I ice hockey with the University of New Hampshire,[6] he changed his commitment to Boston University of Hockey East in 2015.[9]

Farabee played one season with the Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey team, recording 36 points in 37 games.[1] He praised his time with the Terriers, saying, "I think my down-low, below-the-goal-line game has gotten a lot better than it was a year ago...As far as protecting the puck and holding onto it and not making plays too fast to where I turn it over. That’s the big thing at the highest levels. That’s why college hockey was so good for me."[10] He finished the 2018–19 season tied for second in goals and third in points amongst rookies while leading the Terriers in goals, points, power-play goals, shorthanded goals, game-winning goals, plus-minus, and shots.[11] In recognition of his efforts, Farabee received the Tim Taylor Award as college hockey's Rookie of the Year,[11] Hockey East Rookie of the Year,[12] and was selected for the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.[13]

Leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Farabee was ranked 12th amongst all North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[14] He was listed as 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and was measured at 4 percent body fat during the NHL Scouting Combine.[10] However, through showing his offensive prowess as team captain in the Development Program and at Boston University, Farabee was selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on June 23, 2018.[15] Speaking afterwards, Farabee said he was hoping to be drafted by Philadelphia because he was a fan of the Flyers growing up.[16]

Professional

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Farabee signed an entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 25, 2019, after his freshman season at Boston University.[17] After being a healthy scratch during the Flyers' season opener in Prague, he was reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, to begin the season.[18] He played four games with the Phantoms, recording three goals and one assist, before being recalled to the NHL for his debut. When reflecting on his early time in the professional league, Farabee said it helped him gain more confidence and comfortable with his stickhandling.[19] As a result of his play, Farabee was honored as PSECU Player of the Week.[20]

Upon making his NHL debut with the Flyers on October 21, 2019, against the Vegas Golden Knights, Farabee subsequently became the first Flyers player in franchise history to be born in the 2000s.[21] Four days later, Farabee scored his first career NHL goal and assist against the Chicago Blackhawks but both were overturned due to teammate Kevin Hayes being offside.[22] He officially earned his first NHL point later that game as an assist on Hayes’ third-period goal.[23] It was not until the following month, however, that Farabee would record his first official goal in a 4–3 shootout win against the New Jersey Devils. Upon receiving a rebound from Michael Raffl, Farabee said he "closed his eyes" before shooting the puck into the net.[24] Farabee remained with the Flyers before being suspended three games for interference during a contest against the Winnipeg Jets on December 15.[25]

 
Farabee making a play on the puck next to goalie Joey Daccord of the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

After playing in 37 games with the Flyers, recording three goals and nine assists, Farabee was loaned to the Phantoms on January 15, 2020.[26] He was recalled periodically throughout the second half of the season as a replacement for injured players, including James van Riemsdyk.[27] By the conclusion of the shortened 2019–20 regular season, Farabee recorded 21 points through 52 games.[1] During the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs he recorded his first goal during the Round-Robin against the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the first NHL player born in the 2000s to score a postseason goal.[28] As the Flyers beat the Lightning, he scored the game-winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs.[29] After playing well following his jump to the first line in the round-robin finale with Jakub Voráček (undisclosed issue) out, Farabee stayed with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier in Game 1.[30] He remained with the team during their playoff berth as they lost in the Eastern Conference Second Round against the New York Islanders.[31] During the series, Farabee suffered a hit to the head and neck from Adam Pelech in Game 5 and was forced to sit out for the two remaining games to recover.[32]

Farabee returned to the Flyers' training camp for the 2020–21 season having gained nine pounds and stating he felt "a lot more confident."[33] He made his season debut on January 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, during which he tied a franchise record for most points in a season-opener by scoring four points in the 6–3 win.[34] Later that month, Farabee scored his first NHL hat trick in a 4–3 overtime win against the Islanders, becoming the second youngest Flyers player to achieve this feat during the regular season.[35][36] He finished the season with 20 goals and 18 assists for a career high 38 points.[1] As such, Farabee was awarded the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, given to the most improved Flyer as voted by his teammates.[37]

Following his career-best season, Farabee signed a six-year, $30 million contract extension with the Flyers on September 2, 2021.[38] With the offseason acquisition of Cam Atkinson, Farabee began the season on a high-scoring line alongside him and Derick Brassard.[39] However, after experiencing a pointless drought through eight games, Farabee was placed on a line with Scott Laughton for a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.[40]

Playing style

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Farabee says he models his playing style after Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel.[41] The comparisons were focused on their skating ability, playmaking, and hockey IQ.[10] He has also drawn comparisons to Brad Marchand and Zach Parise due to his "high motor and a good deal of intensity."[16] During the Flyers' training camp in 2019, teammate Jakub Voráček called him a "smart player" who was hard to catch up with.[42]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
  2019 Canada
World U18 Championships
  2017 Slovakia
  2018 Russia

Farabee has represented the United States at various international competitions at the junior level. His first time representing the United States internationally was at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships in Slovakia. He played in seven games, recording six points, as the team went on to win a gold medal.[43] The following year, Farabee competed at the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships,[44] where he recorded four goals and four assists for eight points in seven games to lead the team to a silver medal.[43]

Farabee was named to the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships team for the United States men's national junior ice hockey team.[45] During a game against Kazakhstan on December 28, 2018, Farabee recorded a natural hat-trick in the first period to lead the United States to an 8–2 win.[46] He ended the tournament with five points in seven games as the United States won another silver medal.[43]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2016–17 U.S. National Development Team USHL 30 12 11 23 22
2017–18 U.S. National Development Team USHL 26 15 25 40 18
2018–19 Boston University HE 37 17 19 36 57
2019–20 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 5 3 1 4 2
2019–20 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 52 8 13 21 39 12 3 2 5 4
2020–21 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 55 20 18 38 28
2021–22 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 63 17 17 34 50
2022–23 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 15 24 39 41
2023–24 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 22 28 50 37
NHL totals 334 82 100 182 195 12 3 2 5 4

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2016 United States U17 5th 5 4 2 6 6
2017 United States U18   7 3 3 6 6
2018 United States U18   7 4 4 8 6
2019 United States WJC   7 3 2 5 2
2024 United States WC 5th 8 1 1 2 0
Junior totals 26 14 11 25 20
Senior totals 8 1 1 2 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
College
HE All-Rookie Team 2019 [13]
Hockey East Rookie of the Year 2019 [12]
Tim Taylor Award 2019 [11]
NHL
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy 2021 [37]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Joel Farabee". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Frank (October 22, 2019). "Flyers rookie Joel Farabee had two special guests at his NHL debut". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Olsen, Becky (November 29, 2016). "Joel Farabee Credits His Brothers for Love of Hockey". usahockeyntdp.com. USA Hockey. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  4. ^ a b MacIntyre, Iain (June 20, 2018). "Prospect Of Interest: The 411 on Joel Farabee". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Destra, Brooke (September 26, 2019). "Flyers' Joel Farabee was born into hockey and being a fan of all things Philly". sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Joel Farabee Commits To University of New Hampshire". youth1.com. December 26, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  7. ^ "SYRACUSE NATIONALS (1999)". pointstreak.com. Point Streak. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Farabee and Pettersen Selected in 2018 NHL Draft". southkentschool.org. July 1, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "'00 F Joel Farabee commits to BU". hockey.dailyfreepress.com. November 4, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Donnellon, Sam (June 13, 2019). "Joel Farabee, nation's top college rookie, hopes to muscle into Flyers' plans". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Hall, Jordan (April 12, 2019). "Joel Farabee wins 2019 Tim Taylor Award as college hockey's Rookie of the Year". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Farabee Garners Hockey East Rookie of the Year Honors". goterriers.com. Boston University. March 21, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Fabbro, Farabee Garner Year-End Hockey East Accolades". goterriers.com. Boston University. May 20, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "2018 Draft Prospect Rankings". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "Flyers Select F Joel Farabee". nhl.com. National Hockey League. June 22, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Boruk, John (June 23, 2018). "With Philly Ties, Joel Farabee Can't Wait to Help Flyers". nbcphiladelphia.com. NBC Philadelphia. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Flyers sign Joel Farabee to entry-level contract". nhl.com. National Hockey League. March 25, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  18. ^ "2019–20 Flyers season grades: Joel Farabee". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. June 22, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  19. ^ Carchidi, Sam (October 21, 2019). "Flyers captain Claude Giroux's message to Joel Farabee on his debut: Don't overthink it". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "PSECU Player of the Week — Joel Farabee (10/14)". phantomshockey.com. Leigh Valley Phantoms. 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  21. ^ Meltzer, Bill (April 14, 2020). "Meltzer's Player Profiles: Joel Farabee". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Domin, Hank (October 25, 2019). "Cicero's Joel Farabee has first NHL goal and assist, but both get overturned". syracuse.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  23. ^ Meltzer, Bill (October 24, 2019). "POSTGAME 5: Win-dy City". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  24. ^ "POSTGAME 5: Shootout Stunner!". nhl.com. National Hockey League. November 1, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  25. ^ "Farabee of Flyers suspended three games for interference". nhl.com. National Hockey League. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  26. ^ "Flyers Loan Joel Farabee to Phantoms and Recall Alex Lyon". phantomshockey.com. Leigh Valley Phantoms. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  27. ^ "Phantoms F Joel Farabee Recalled by Flyers". phantomshockey.org. Leigh Valley Phantoms. March 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  28. ^ Barkowitz, Ed (August 9, 2020). "Flyers notebook: Joel Farabee 'ready to go dancing' with Montreal up next". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  29. ^ Tamurian, Niko (August 13, 2020). "Cicero-native Farabee scores game-winning playoff goal for Philly". cnycentral.com. WSTM-TV. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  30. ^ "Carter Hart provides early birthday gift as Flyers beat Canadiens in Game 1 of 1st-round NHL playoff series". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. August 12, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  31. ^ Gulitti, Tom (September 6, 2020). "Flyers frustrated by scoring woes in second-round loss to Islanders". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  32. ^ "Farabee out, but Flyers still win to force Game 7 vs. Islanders". cnycentral.com. WSTM-TV. September 4, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  33. ^ Carchidi, Sam (January 7, 2021). "Joel Farabee has added weight and feels more comfortable in his second Flyers camp". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  34. ^ O'Brien, James (January 13, 2021). "Flyers beat Penguins to start season: Four for Farabee and other takeaways". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  35. ^ @PR_NHL (January 31, 2021). "Joel Farabee is the fifth different player in @NHLFlyers history to score a hat trick before age 21 (regular season or playoffs)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ @NHLFlyers (February 1, 2021). "The second youngest Flyer to net a hatty in team history" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ a b Carchidi, Sam (May 10, 2021). "Sean Couturier named Flyers' MVP for third straight season, a feat last accomplished by Eric Lindros". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  38. ^ "Farabee signs six-year, $30 million contract extension with Flyers". nhl.com. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  39. ^ Kimelman, Adam (October 21, 2021). "Flyers score six, pull away to defeat Bruins". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  40. ^ Meltzer, Bill (November 13, 2021). "5 THINGS: Flyers @ Stars". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  41. ^ "Joel Farabee Draft Profile". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  42. ^ "From Jakub Voracek to Alain Vigneault, Joel Farabee turning heads (and ankles) at Flyers training camp". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. September 14, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  43. ^ a b c "Joel Farabee". teamusa.usahockey.com. Team USA. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  44. ^ "29 players join U.S. camp". iihf.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  45. ^ Carchidi, Sam (December 9, 2019). "Two Flyers prospects named to Team USA's preliminary roster for World Junior tournament". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  46. ^ "WJC Day 3 roundup: Farabee hat trick leads United States past Kazakhstan". nhl.com. National Hockey League. December 29, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
2018
Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Rookie of the Year
2018–19
Succeeded by
Preceded by Tim Taylor Award
2018–19
Succeeded by