TORONTO — Out of the world junior championship with a high ankle sprain, Robby Fabbri can't lead Canada on the ice. But he led the team into Air Canada Centre on Sunday, making his way on crutches.

Fabbri was injured early in Canada's rout of Denmark in the quarter-finals and was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Now he is reduced to cheering from the stands while his teammates rally around him.

"We all know who we're playing for now," winger Max Domi said. "To see that happen to anyone, especially one of your teammates, one of your buddies, it sucks. We're playing for him now."

Fabbri, a St. Louis Blues prospect who plays for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League, appreciates his friends dedicating their finish at the world juniors to him. Understandably upset he's not able to take the ice with them, the Mississauga, Ont., native is doing his best to make it through a tough time.

"I just come to the rink every day and supporting the guys and make sure I'm not bringing anyone down," the 18-year-old Fabbri said. "Just happy to be here and happy to support the guys."

Fabbri had two goals and four assists in the first four games of the tournament, playing on Canada's second line alongside Connor McDavid and Curtis Lazar. He got tangled up with Danish defenceman Anders Krogsgaard just a few minutes into Friday night's game and went down in pain.

"Somehow my leg ended up behind me almost touching my head," said Fabbri, who watched the replay of his injury. "It was an unfortunate play and there's nothing you can do about it."

Brayden Point stepped into Fabbri's spot next to McDavid and will be there again for Sunday night's semifinal game against Slovakia. Point had been Canada's 13th forward.

Coach Benoit Groulx said he was glad that Point was getting a chance but upset it came at the expense of losing Fabbri.

"It's very disappointing for him, obviously," Groulx said. "Such a nice person and he's a great competitor. When you look at Robby Fabbri, when you look at the player itself, he's a very good hockey player. But what separates him from other players is how competitive he is and how much he wants to make the difference out there."

Fabbri won't be able to make a difference the rest of the way for Canada, which all along has been favoured to win gold on home ice. It was not clear how much time Fabbri would miss for Guelph.

Not all high ankle sprains are the same, but Toronto Maple Leafs winger Brandon Kozun recently missed more than six weeks with one.

Fabbri said a couple of St. Louis staffers reached out to him along with star forwards T.J. Oshie and Jaden Schwartz. Fabbri is considered one of the Blues' top prospects.

In Blues camp this past fall, Fabbri was a huge surprise before suffering an upper-body injury. This is another blow.

"I've had a little bit of a tough year this year, in St. Louis as well," Fabbri said. "Everything happens for a reason and you just have to build off it and build character."

Fabbri barely got to enjoy playing close to home at Air Canada Centre but is still a part of the camaraderie this group has been building for weeks. His teammates are glad he's still around and don't take his upbeat mood for granted.

"He's a great guy on and off the ice, and his attitude is still really positive and hasn't changed at all," Domi said. "We're going to need that from him."

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