For a hockey player, there is no feeling more frustrating than the helplessness of not being able to hit the ice with your teammates to contribute to their success.

Now imagine not being able to take part in a game you’ve dreamed about your entire life – the gold medal game at the IIHF World Junior Championship – and its being played right in your own backyard.

After Robby Fabbri exited the 2015 World Juniors quarter-final against Denmark with a high ankle sprain last winter, he admitted he was overcome by pure frustration. However, he made it his mission to never let it show, and to remain positive for the sake of his teammates.

“I didn’t want to be around the room and be bringing other guys down,” said the St-Louis Blues prospect. “I didn’t want to change the mood in the room, so I tried to get the attention off myself and let the guys focus on what they had to do. I wanted to pump them up and keep them as positive as I possibly could.”

Prior to the injury, Fabbri’s relentless work ethic, positive attitude and jaw-dropping skill set had seen him thrive alongside linemates Connor McDavid and Curtis Lazar, as evidenced by the six points he had put up in the four games he played.

So when Max Domi told the media prior to the gold medal game against Russia that he and the rest of the squad would play every shift to earn a gold medal for the injured Fabbri, the latter was touched by the kind words.

“The guys rallied around me as much as I rallied around them,” he says. “It was so humbling when guys said they’d do that for me, it helped me go through that tough situation.”

Sitting all alone in the press box for the game’s first two periods, Fabbri went through an emotional roller-coaster ride. After seeing Canada take a 5-1 lead by the midway point of the second period, Russia scored three unanswered goals to get back within one goal by the end of the second period.

“You definitely get that ‘Uh oh’ thought, but I knew the abilities of our team and what we were capable of so I was pretty confident,” he remembers. “Although it seemed like they were all over us in the third, we managed to keep them to outside shots only and I think we did a really good job at maintaining our lead.”

After grabbing his crutches and walking down to the dressing room during the second intermission, Fabbri decided to stick around and watch the last 20 minutes from the end of the bench. Despite the frustration of not being able to contribute on the ice, he gave fist bumps to his teammates and kept them in a positive mindset through a tense final frame.

Fabbri’s positive vibes and leadership certainly did not go unnoticed. After Canada won gold, captain Curtis Lazar’s first stop with the trophy was the only skateless player on the ice.

“A ton of emotion went through my mind,” says Fabbri with a beaming grin. “It’s every kid’s dream to lift that trophy and for him to bring it to me first, for the guys to rally around myself, it just goes to show how close we were.”

The 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland will not only allow Canada its first crack at back-to-back gold medals since 2008 and 2009, it could also give Fabbri the opportunity to once again be able to contribute on-ice and off-ice for his country.

“It means a lot to be back,” he says. “Hopefully to get another shot at [a gold medal], to play in those big games, and to get the team to the same abilities and capabilities we were at last year is a unique opportunity.

“We were such a close-knit group [in 2015] and I want to bring back what the core group learned last year over to this year, and to show the new guys the ropes and what it takes to win.”

Pure words of wisdom from the natural-born leader that is Robby Fabbri.