GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University
of North Dakota sophomore forward Rocco Grimaldi has signed an entry
level contract with the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers and
will forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility. The Panthers
selected Grimaldi in the second round (33d overall) of the 2011 NHL
Entry Draft.
Grimaldi
led North Dakota in points (39) and goals (17) in 42 games in 2013-14,
establishing career highs in both categories. He was named the Most
Outstanding Player of the 2014 NCAA Midwest Regional in Cincinnati after
recording his first collegiate hat trick in UND’s semifinal win over
Wisconsin. His performance helped lead UND to its 20th appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four.
The
5-foot-6, 172-pound Grimaldi also earned Academic All-NCHC honors in
2013-14 and won the team’s Virg Foss 3-Star Award for accumulating the
most 3-star voting points during the regular season.
In
2012-13, Grimaldi was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team and was voted
UND’s Rookie of the Year after leading all WCHA rookies in points (36)
and assists (23), while also topping the nation’s rookies with 147 shots
on goal. That same season, Grimaldi helped lead the United States to a
gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia. He was
named U.S. Player of the Game in the gold medal win over Sweden after
scoring both the game-tying and game-winning goals.
Grimaldi’s
initial freshman season at UND in 2011-12 was cut short after just four
games due to a season-ending knee injury. He finished his collegiate
career with 31 goals and 46 assists and a plus-22 rating in 86 games.
A
native of Rossmoor, Calif., Grimaldi is UND’s second player to sign an
NHL contract since the end of the 2013-14 season, joining senior
defenseman Dillon Simpson, who signed with the Edmonton Oilers.
Grimaldi’s Collegiate Statistics
Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-
2011-12 4 1 1 2 1/2 0 0 0 -5
2012-13 40 13 23 36 9/18 2 0 1 +14
2013-14 42 17 22 39 24/48 3 3 3 +13
Totals 86 31 46 87 34/68 5 3 4 +22
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