Drew Richard Fata (born July 28, 1983) is a Canadian former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

. He is the younger brother of

Rico Fata Rico Fata (born February 12, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers and Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playin ...

, who has played for several NHL teams over the course of his career.

Playing career

As a youth, Fata played in the 1997

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team from

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants ...

. Fata was drafted 86th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

. Without playing a game for the Penguins, Fata signed as a free agent with the New York Islanders on February 4, 2007. When Islanders defenceman Sean Hill received a 20-game suspension on April 20, 2007 after testing positive performance-enhancing drugs, Drew Fata was called upon to take his place in the lineup. He then made his playoff debut against the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

on April 20, though the Islanders lost the game and were eliminated from the postseason. On July 2, 2008, Fata signed with the Phoenix Coyotes. Fata started the 2008–09 season with the Coyotes affiliate,

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

, before he was traded by the Coyotes to the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

for Alexander Nikulin on November 3, 2008. On July 7, 2009, Fata signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Boston Bruins. After coming off a season that involved ankle surgery, Fata did not receive any offers for four months. Eventually Fata was invited to return to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the team where he started his professional career. After one game with the Penguins, Fata was released from his professional tryout contract on November 1, 2010. On November 1, 2010 Fata signed with Sparta Sarpsborg of the Norwegian GET-ligaen After a further three seasons abroad with

HC Asiago Asiago Hockey 1935 is an Italian ice hockey team from Asiago which plays in the ICE Hockey League. Until 2021–22, Asiago played in the Italian Hockey League - Serie A, winning the championship eight times. Honours ;Domestic *Italian Hockey Leag ...

and the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. ...

, Fata returned to North America to sign a one-year free agent contract with the Arizona Sundogs of the CHL on August 5, 2014. Upon the merge of the CHL into the ECHL, Fata opted to retire from professional hockey and accepted a General Manager role with the Batchewana Attack in the

Canadian International Hockey League The Canadian International Hockey League (CIHL) was a Canadian independent Junior ice hockey league based in Northern Ontario, Central Ontario, and the Greater Toronto Area. History The CIHL was officially announced on April 8, 2014 with the unvei ...

Career statistics

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fata, Drew 1983 births Asiago Hockey 1935 players Binghamton Senators players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Ice hockey people from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Kingston Frontenacs players Living people Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent New York Islanders players Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Providence Bruins players San Antonio Rampage players Sheffield Steelers players Sparta Sarpsborg players St. Michael's Buzzers players Toronto St. Michael's Majors players Wheeling Nailers players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in England Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Norway Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Italy