Derek Forbort was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on March 4, 1992. From 2007-09 Forbort played two seasons at Duluth East High School and scored six goals with 26 assists before moving on to the United States National Development Program. The defenseman played one season with the United States National U-18 Team, scored five goals with 28 assists in 65 games, and won the Gold Medal at the World Junior Championships.
Forbort committed to the University of North Dakota and played three seasons there beginning in 2010-11. In 105 games with the Fighting Hawks, Forbort scored six goals with 39 assists, won the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament championship his freshman and sophomore years, and reached the Frozen Four in 2011. The National Hockey League Central Scouting Bureau ranked Forbort the ninth-best North American skater heading into the 2010 NHL Draft.
Derek Forbort was Drafted 15th Overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2010 NHL Draft
The Los Angeles Kings selected Forbort in the first round of the NHL Draft 15th overall, the fifth defenseman taken in the draft. On April 6, 2013, the 6-foot-4, 218-pound defenseman signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Kings worth $2.7 million. Forbort played six games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League and registered one assist.
The big two-way defenseman played the next two full seasons in Manchester, scored five goals with 27 assists in 141 total games, and won the Calder Cup Championship at the end of the 2014-25 season. The following season, Forbort played 40 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, totaling ten points.
Forbort’s NHL Debut To Today
Forbort made his NHL Debut with the Los Angeles Kings on October 16, 2015, against the Minnesota Wild in a 2-1 victory in Minnesota, where the 2010 Draft was held. The big blue liner played 11:33 of ice time (20 shifts) and had one shot on net. Forbort played 14 NHL games that season with one goal and one assist. The left-shot defenseman played 268 games with the Kings until signing a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent with the Winnipeg Jets in October 2020. In 56 games with Winnipeg, Forbort registered two goals, ten assists, and one goal in eight postseason games.
The Boston Bruins signed Forbort to a three-year, $9 million contract on July 28, 2021. Forbort has been a top penalty-killing defender and a solid stay-at-home defenseman. In 165 total games with Boston, Forbort has nine goals, 21 assists, and a plus-22 rating. During the 2023-24 season, Forbort had zero goals, four assists, and a plus-8 in only 35 games as he missed significant time due to injury. Derek Forbort is currently an unrestricted free agent and will be testing the open market.
Season 4. Episode 39. The Off Season – Bruins Benders Podcast
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