Is Gabriel Vilardi Italian? Exploring ethnic roots of Los Angeles Kings star

Canadian hockey professional Gabriel Vilardi is Italian, as he was born to Italian parents, Natale Vilardi and Giovanna Siviglia, on August 16, 1999, in Kingston, Ontario.

Young Vilardi grew up alongside his elder brother, Francesco, an athlete. Francesco plays for the Queen's University hockey team and has three years of experience playing in the Ontario Hockey League.

Gabriel Vilardi missed the Kings' last practice due to an upper body injury. However, he skated before the game, so he's making some headway in his recovery. Despite ending the regular season with 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games, Vilardi missed the final nine games because of the aforementioned injury.

The right-winger center was chosen by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2017 NHL entry draft with the 11th overall pick. Since his selection, the 23-year-old rising star has been rolling the dice with the Kings.

After completing his one-year contract with the Kings for $825,000 by the end of the 2022-23 season, he becomes a restricted free agent.

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Gabriel Vilardi’s playing career

The Windsor Spitfires selected Gabriel Vilardi with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection.

Despite being a playing center, he spent most of his time in the squad as a winger. Vilardi impressed the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, scoring a remarkable 25 points, including nine goals and 16 assists in 32 games.

Vilardi was regarded as a great prospect by the NHL Scouting Bureau, ranking him as North America's fourth-best skater. Vilardi and Sean Day were traded to the Kingston Frontenacs during the 2017–18 season in exchange for Cody Morgan and six draft selections. Vilardi subsequently agreed a three-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Mar. 1 of the 2022-23 season.

Due to a recurring back issue, Vilardi's professional debut with the Ontario Reigns, the Kings' American Hockey League club, got delayed. However, that finally happened on November 29, 2018, against the Tucson Roadrunners, where the Canadian hockey star earned his first career point.

The Kings leased Vilardi to Team Canada so that he could compete in the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships to increase his exposure and advance his growth.

After returning to the Kings, Gabriel Vilardi created a new NHL record by scoring his first professional goal just six seconds into his first season. He was making his NHL debut that night against the Florida Panthers.