Introduction
Derek Forbort (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings organization of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Forbort played his junior season of high school hockey for Duluth East High School in 2008–09, finishing with 28 points in 21 games, and was named a regional All-Star. 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 Fighting Sioux for the 2010-2011 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. Forbort has committed to play for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2010.
Forbort is highly regarded by scouts and is projected to become a two-way defenseman in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Forbort as the ninth best North American skater for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, an improvement on his midterm ranking of 11th. International Scouting Services named him tenth overall. Expected to be a first round selection, Forbort was taken 15th overall by the Los Angeles Kings.
Forbort played for the US national team at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Buffalo, New York, winning a bronze medal.
On April 5, 2013, Derek Forbort signed a three-year entry level contract with the Los Angeles Kings.
In the 2014–15 season, on February 11, 2015, the Los Angeles Kings recalled Forbort from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League. He was later returned to the Monarchs without featuring in a game for the Kings.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | USNTDP | USHL | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | USNTDP | USHL | 26 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | North Dakota Fighting Sioux | WCHA | 38 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | North Dakota Fighting Sioux | WCHA | 35 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | North Dakota Fighting Sioux | 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 | ||
| NHL totals | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | United States | WJC18 |  | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2011 | United States | WJC |  | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| WCHA All-Tournament Team | 2012 | |
| Calder Cup (Manchester Monarchs) | 2015 |