Derek Forbort (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. He was originally selected by the Kings, 15th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Derek Forbort
Forbort with the Boston Bruins in 2023
Born (1992-03-04) March 4, 1992 (age 32)
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Boston Bruins
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
Winnipeg Jets
NHL Draft 15th overall, 2010
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career edit

Forbort played his junior season of high school hockey for Duluth East High School in 2008–09, finishing with 28 points in 21 games,[1] and was named a regional All-Star.[2] He completed the season by playing nine games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played his first full season with the USNTDP in 2009–10, scoring 4 goals and 14 points in 26 USHL league games, and 25 points overall in 56 games with the development team.

He then began his freshman season for the University of North Dakota for the 2010–11 season. He played with the American team at the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships, recording two assists and a +9 rating, en route to winning a gold medal.[3] Forbort had committed to play for the University of North Dakota men's ice hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2010.[2]

Professional edit

Forbort was highly regarded by scouts and was projected to become a two-way defenseman in the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Forbort as the ninth best North American skater for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft,[4] an improvement on his midterm ranking of 11th.[5] International Scouting Services named him tenth overall.[6] Expected to be a first round selection,[7] Forbort was taken 15th overall by the Los Angeles Kings.

On April 5, 2013, Forbort signed a three-year entry level contract with the Los Angeles Kings.[8]

 
Forbort with the Manchester Monarchs in 2013

In the 2014–15 season, on February 11, 2015, the Kings recalled Forbort from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was later returned to the Monarchs without playing a game for the Kings.[9] He eventually made his NHL debut the following season on October 16, 2015, against the Minnesota Wild[10] and recorded his first NHL goal in a 5–0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on December 28.[11]

In the 2016–17 season, his second with the Kings, Forbort made the opening roster. He recorded 18 points in 82 games during the season.

On October 19, 2017, Forbort signed a two-year contract extension with the Kings.[12]

In the 2019–20 season, Forbort began his eighth season within the Kings organization on the injured reserve. After returning from a conditioning assignment with the Ontario Reign, he featured in just 14 games for 1 assist. On February 24, 2020, Forbort was dealt by the Kings at the NHL trade deadline to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2021 conditional fourth-round pick.[13]

As a free agent, Forbort signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets on October 11, 2020.[14] In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Forbort appeared in every game for the Jets on the blueline, contributing with 2 goals and 12 points in 56 regular season games.

On July 28, 2021, Forbort left at the conclusion of his contract with the Jets to sign a three-year, $9 million contract with the Boston Bruins as a free agent.[15] He scored his first goal as a Bruin on October 24, 2021, against the San Jose Sharks.

During the 2022–23 season, Forbort, after scoring 5 goals for the first time in his career, suffered an injury in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 16, 2023, but returned for the playoffs.

International play edit

Forbort played for the US national team at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Buffalo, New York, winning a bronze medal.[16]

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2007–08 East High School HS-MN 2 12 14
2008–09 East High School HS-MN 22 4 14 18 28 3 2 4 6 4
2008–09 U.S. NTDP U17 USDP 9 1 5 6 10
2008–09 U.S. NTDP U18 NAHL 2 0 1 1 6
2009–10 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 26 4 10 14 26
2009–10 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 65 5 23 28 46
2010–11 University of North Dakota WCHA 38 0 15 15 26
2011–12 University of North Dakota WCHA 35 2 11 13 28
2012–13 University of North Dakota WCHA 41 4 12 16 26
2012–13 Manchester Monarchs AHL 6 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 4
2013–14 Manchester Monarchs AHL 74 1 16 17 42 3 0 0 0 0
2014–15 Manchester Monarchs AHL 67 4 11 15 52 19 0 6 6 12
2015–16 Los Angeles Kings NHL 14 1 1 2 17
2015–16 Ontario Reign AHL 40 2 8 10 40 13 0 2 2 0
2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 2 16 18 54
2017–18 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 1 17 18 49
2018–19 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 2 12 14 52
2019–20 Ontario Reign AHL 5 1 0 1 5
2019–20 Los Angeles Kings NHL 13 0 1 1 4
2019–20 Calgary Flames NHL 7 0 0 0 0 10 1 1 2 2
2020–21 Winnipeg Jets NHL 56 2 10 12 35 8 1 0 1 0
2021–22 Boston Bruins NHL 76 4 10 14 48 7 1 0 1 12
2022–23 Boston Bruins NHL 54 5 7 12 23 7 0 1 1 21
2023–24 Boston Bruins NHL 35 0 4 4 17
NHL totals 496 17 78 95 299 32 3 2 5 35
Medal record
Representing   USA
Ice hockey
World Junior Championshipss
  2011 USA
IIHF World U18 Championships
  2010 Belarus

International edit

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2010 United States U18   7 0 2 2 6
2011 United States WJC   6 0 0 0 0
2012 United States WJC 7th 3 0 2 2 0
Junior totals 16 0 4 4 6

Awards and honors edit

Award Year
College
WCHA All-Tournament Team 2012 [17]
AHL
Calder Cup (Manchester Monarchs) 2015 [18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Adams, Alan (June 2010). "Top prospects gun for no. 1". The Hockey News: 25. ISSN 0018-3016.
  2. ^ a b Pates, Kevin (2010-05-16). "Forbort heading home, with eye on NHL draft". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  3. ^ "Derek Forbort draft card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  4. ^ "Final Rankings Domestic Skaters" (PDF). NHL Central Scouting. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  5. ^ "Derek Forbort scouting report". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  6. ^ "2010 ISS Top 30". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  7. ^ "Forbort has NHL in his sights". FOX 21 Duluth. 2010-05-23. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  8. ^ "Kings Sign Forbort". Retrieved 2013-04-05.
  9. ^ "Kings recall defenseman Forbort from AHL". National Hockey League. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  10. ^ Kinkopf, Alan (October 16, 2015). "PREVIEW: Kings look to avoid history with win against Wild". Retrieved December 13, 2018. Derek Forbort will make his NHL debut tonight, skating with Christian Ehrhoff on the Kings' third D-pairing.
  11. ^ Kinkopf, Alan (December 29, 2015). "Toffoli's hat-trick fuels Kings' 5-0 victory". NHL.com. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  12. ^ "LA Kings Sign Defensemen Derek Forbort to Two-Year Contract Extension". NHL.com. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  13. ^ "Flames acquire pair of defencemen". Calgary Flames. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  14. ^ "Jets sign Derek Forbort to a one-year contract". Winnipeg Jets. October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bruins announce free agent signings and transactions". Boston Bruins. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "Player Statistics by Team" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  17. ^ "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  18. ^ "Manchester defeats Utica to win Calder Cup". National Hockey League. 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2015-06-19.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
2010
Succeeded by