Former Warroad Warrior, Now University of North Dakota's Brock Nelson & Duluth East' Derek Forbort Make Team USA Roster At The World U-20 Junior Championships

BY INVITATION ONLY: Freshmen Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn.) and Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) were named to the to the United States National Junior Team preliminary roster by USA Hockey on Tuesday.


Forbort and Nelson are among 29 players who will attend a pre-tournament camp beginning Dec. 17 in Troy, Rochester, Jamestown and Amherst, N.Y.

The camp will include exhibition games against Rensselaer's men's hockey team (Dec. 19), the Czech Republic (Dec. 21) and Norway (Dec. 23). The final U.S. National Junior Team 22-man roster will be announced prior to Team USA's final exhibition game against Norway.

The 2011 U.S. National Junior Team will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo and Niagara, N.Y.

Forbort, one of 10 defensemen invited to the pre-tournament camp, helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2010 Under-18 World Championship. In 13 games this season with the Fighting Sioux, Forbort has amassed eight assists and a +2 plus/minus rating. He is UND's leading rookie scorer and is tied for second among WCHA rookie defensemen in assists. Forbort was selected 15th overall by Los Angeles in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Nelson, a native of Warroad, Minn., is one of 17 forwards named to the preliminary roster. In 18 games this season, Nelson has one goal and four assists for five points. He was selected 30th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.