UND's Rocco Grimaldi signs with NHL’s Florida Panthers

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 20^th 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

UND's Simpson Signs with Oilers

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Edmonton Oilers announced on Tuesday night that University of North Dakota senior defenseman Dillon Simpson has signed a 3-year entry level contract with the National Hockey League club.

A native of Edmonton, Simpson was drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round (92^nd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In 156 career games at North Dakota, he registered 16 goals and 59 assists for 75 points and owned a plus-24 rating.

As a senior in 2013-14, Simpson captained UND to a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four and was named to the College Hockey News' All-CHN First Team and the All-NCHC First Team. He was also a finalist for the NCHC's Player of the Year, Defenseman of the Year and Offensive Defenseman of the Year Awards. In 42 games, Simpson led the nation with 109 blocked shots and tied for fifth among NCHC defensemen with 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists).

Earlier today, Simpson was named a finalist for UND's Glenn "Red" Jarrett Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Simpson was named a NCHC Scholar-Athlete as a senior after earning Scholar-Athlete honors in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) as a sophomore and junior. A managerial finance and corporate accounting major, Simpson was also a three-time academic all-conference selection.

Simpson's father, Craig, played for the Oilers from 1987-88 to 1992-93 during a 10-year NHL playing career that also included stops with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. He currently serves as the lead analyst for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

UND Hockey Player Signs with NHL's Kings

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota junior defenseman Derek Forbort has elected to forgo his final year of eligibility and has agreed to a three-year entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings.

A first-round draft pick (15^th overall) of the Kings in 2010, Forbort is a native of Duluth, Minn. He collected six goals and 39 assists in 115 career games at North Dakota and had a career plus/minus rating of +33. In 2012-13, he played in all 42 games and achieved career highs in points (17) and goals (4).

As a sophomore in 2011-12, Forbort recorded two goals and 11 assists in 35 games and earned WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team and All-WCHA Academic Team honors.

In 2010-11, Forbort helped lead UND to a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four and was named the team’s rookie of the year after leading all WCHA rookie defensemen with a +21 rating. He also added 15 assists in his 38 games.

Forbort also represented the United States at the 2011 and 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, helping the U.S. win the bronze medal in 2011.

Forbort is UND’s third player to sign an NHL contract since the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, joining seniors Danny Kristo (Montreal) and Andrew MacWilliam (Toronto).

Forbort’s Career Statistics (Overall)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2010-11 38 0 15 15 13/26 0 0 0 +21

2011-12 35 2 11 13 14/28 1 0 0 +1

2012-13 42 4 13 17 13/26 2 0 0 +11

Totals 115 6 39 45 40/80 3 0 0 +33

Forbort’s Career Statistics (WCHA)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2010-11 24 0 11 11 7/14 0 0 0 +15

2011-12 24 0 6 6 13/26 0 0 0 -1

2012-13 28 4 8 12 10/20 2 0 0 +8

Totals 76 4 25 29 30/60 2 0 0 +22

UND Hockey Players Sign

Senior Hobey Baker Award finalist Danny Kristo signs with Montreal

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota senior forward and Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist Danny Kristo has signed a two-year entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens. Kristo, who will report to the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs, was selected by Montreal in the second round, 56^th overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

A native of Eden Prairie, Minn., Kristo amassed 161 career points (68 goals, 93 assists) in 155 games at UND to rank 18^th on the school’s all-time scoring list. He will also graduate tied for sixth all-time with 13 career game-winning goals.

Kristo was named the College Hockey News Player of the Year in 2012-13 after achieving career highs in points (52), goals (26) and plus/minus (+17), while matching his career high in assists (26). He currently is tied for second in the nation in both points and assists and is tied for third with six game-winning goals. Kristo was also named to the All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) First Team and the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team, earned his second straight UND Virg Foss 3-Star Award, and was a national player of the month honorable mention in February.

In 2013-13, Kristo also became UND’s first player to record 20-plus assists in each of his four seasons since Jeff Panzer did it from 1997-98 to 2000-01. A two-time WCHA Player of the Week as a senior, Kristo reached the scoresheet in 31 game this season, tied for second-most in the nation, and led the team with a career-high +17 rating.

During his collegiate career, Kristo helped lead UND to four NCAA postseason appearances, three Broadmoor Trophies as WCHA playoff champion, and the 2010-11 MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champion. He was WCHA Rookie of the Year in 2009-10.

Kristo’s Career Statistics (Overall)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2008-09 41 15 21 36 4/8 9 0 2 +9

2009-10 34 8 20 28 9/18 2 0 2 +6

2010-11 42 19 26 45 11/33 7 1 3 +16

2011-12 40 26 26 52 12/24 6 2 6 +17

Totals 157 68 93 161 36/83 24 3 13 +48

 

Kristo’s Career Statistics (WCHA)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2008-09 28 10 13 23 3/6 6 0 1 +4

2009-10 20 3 9 12 7/14 2 0 1 -4

2010-11 28 13 16 29 9/29 3 1 2 +8

2011-12 28 17 20 37 10/20 2 2 2 +12

Totals 104 43 58 101 29/60 13 3 6 +20

UND captain Andrew MacWilliam agrees to deal with NHL’s Maple Leafs

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota senior defenseman and team captain Andrew MacWilliam has signed an entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

MacWilliam was selected by Toronto in the seventh round, 188^th overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He will report to the Toronto Marlies, the organization’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, MacWilliam played in 163 career games at North Dakota and amassed four goals and 27 assists with a +37 plus/minus rating. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder also had 327 career penalty minutes, seventh-most in program history.

MacWiliam collected a career-high 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 41 games in 2012-13, while also recording a career-best +13 rating. He captained UND to a berth in the NCAA West Region championship game and was named to the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team.

During his collegiate career, MacWilliam helped lead UND to four NCAA postseason appearances, three Broadmoor Trophies as WCHA playoff champion, and the 2010-11 MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champion. A management major, MacWilliam was also a three-time selection to the All-WCHA Academic Team.

MacWilliam’s Career Statistics (Overall)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2008-09 43 0 3 3 38/87 0 0 0 +1

2009-10 37 0 8 8 19/49 0 0 0 +11

2010-11 42 2 5 7 32/75 0 0 0 +12

2011-12 41 2 11 13 43/116 0 0 0 +13

Totals 163 4 27 31 132/327 0 0 0 +37

 

MacWilliam’s Career Statistics (WCHA)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2008-09 28 0 3 3 31/73 0 0 0 +2

2009-10 23 0 4 4 9/18 0 0 0 +4

2010-11 28 2 3 5 24/59 0 0 0 +3

2011-12 28 1 7 8 31/70 0 0 0 +13

Totals 107 3 17 20 95/220 0 0 0 +22