College Hockey:
Nelson leaves North Dakota after two years, signs with Islanders

USCHO Staff Report • April 3, 2012

Brock Nelson, North Dakota’s leading scorer, has signed with the NHL’s New York Islanders and will forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility, the school announced Tuesday.

Nelson was the Islanders’ first-round draft pick (30th overall) in 2010, and he increased his signing potential with a 28-goal, 47-point season for the Fighting Sioux in 2011-12.

In 84 games at North Dakota, Nelson had 36 goals and 68 points.

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Guest
No surprise Nelson is leaving after two years. he won’t be the only underclassmen from NoDak to leave before next season starts.
- Scott Reed
  whe else are you predicting? I’m not saying I disagree… just curious if you have a thought or just trash talking
  - collegehockeyfan
    I could see Forbort, and on a long shot, Kristo leaving… only time will tell
    - Fan Man
      Sounds like Dell is leaving! That sucks… Would have had the craziest goaltending situation (competition) in the country next year which of course is not a bad thing to have
      - collegehockeyfan
        If Dell leaves, I believe that would be a mistake on his part. He doesn’t have the Raw talent to go pro early, but if he wants think with his wallet, that’s his choice. It will give the Huntsville goalie a place to play!
SiouxAlumDenver
Big mistake.
Scpa0305
Dang….though he might stay. Corban and Danny are next unfortunetly. On to another rebuilding year.
- Guest
  Sorry for the loss, but now you know how it feels to lose players who should atleast stay another year in college to the New York Islanders.
  GM Garth Snow has no respect for college hockey, and frankly i’m not sure how he keeps his job, as bad as they are. Seems his plucking guys from college isn’t working, yet he keeps taking them.
  Sincerely,
  Minnesota Gopher Fans
  - Jacobsladder
    Yea cuz North Dakota has no idea what its like for players to leave early. Cuz it doesn’t happen every year at UND just as much as Minn… (sarcasm – since your a gopher fan i figured i better point that out for you)
    - icelund
      It hasn’t actually. Apart from last year’s signings North Dakota has been relatively fortunate in that regard. I’d become extremely used to the idea of players finishing their 4 years actually.
      Oh well, at the end of the day its bound to happen sometimes. As to the rest of the team MacWilliam and Rowney have since committed to returning. Kristo is definitely still a flight risk, especially with Montreal firmly in the rebuilding phase, but Knight? He doesn’t strike me as NHL ready yet, but I suppose you never know.
      - guest
        apparently you don’t remember toews, oshie, zajac, parise, bochenski, spirko, stafford, chorney and all the others who left early
      - icelund
        I remember them well, but compared to most programs we’ve been relatively lucky. Hextall and Gregoire last year were the first early signings we’ve had since the year Oshie and co left.
      - Scpa0305
        Which was what….2 years before that…haha. You know nothing
      - icelund
        Try four. We went four years without a single defection. Can you name another national contender that can claim that? We’ve been incredibly fortunate that Hakstol is running the system that he is, which apparently encourages kids to stay.
        You know nothing.
      - Mike
        UND fans trolling their own. Love it!
      - nogofer
        But you are a rodent…
      - Scpa0305
        Yeah, i guess there haven’t been that many defections recently although D. Toews left early (still counts, he’s actually putting up nice numbers in the dub) and the fact that a top three scorer from the two previous years (Gregoire) left last year…lets just say we felt it.
      - guest
        Perhaps the first early NHL signings sinces Oshie and Co, however there have been others who left early for the minors. David Toews comes to mind….
      - Scpa0305
        Hextall and gregoire also….I am not even going to start to go back before 2006
      - Fan Man
        Those players were NHL ready for sure! Players like Gregs and Hex saw the $$$$$$ signs and obviously werent ready for the big time as evident by their performance in the AHL this year… Not saying I would do anything different as I do not know the situation they are put in but I do know that another year would not have hurt those two and now I feel like I might see that in Nelson too!
        That calls for another debate, one you could also compare to the CHL and College Hockey. Do you develop better, faster, or get bigger playing 60+ games a year in the CHL,ECHL AHL or do you do it practicing constantly and playing critical games every weekend in the NCAA’s? Every player is different you could say and it depends on the situation but I just dont see leaving for the AHL early and missing the supposed “best” years of your young life for a possible career in the minors… Not saying that is the case for Nelson but I know of quit a few players that have done that and lived to regret it!
    - Guest
      Are you that dumb?????? This wasn’t about who leaves early so to say from College programs.
      It was a shot at Garth Snow taking guys from college and their team ( New York Islanders ) are no better for it!
      It means maybe he should stop takiong college players know matter what school they come from!
      I guess ?????? no nickname fans aren’t smart enought to figure out the sarcasam in a post!
      - nogofer
        You confused know with no? Are you 12 years old? And the name is Fighting Sioux!
  - Scpa0305
    This is nothing new actually, not only do we lose first rounds picks early…..we’re starting to lose first round picks before they even come. Nothing new buddy.
Fan Man
Even though the Islanders suck, I really don’t think he has the size and strength to make to big show for another couple years…. I thought they said education was important to him and his family? I guess when the dollar sign starts flashing, education doesn’t matter any more!!! I think its a big mistake but I hope he proves me wrong. Good luck to him ;)
- Brock_Fan
  Brock already has enough credits to graduate.
  - Kroger
    Not even close.
    - Brock_Fan
      Yes, he does. Smart kid.
- Mattgotts
  He is 6-4!! Don’t have the size???? Skill and weight right now are what he needs. After that he will make a fine NHL player
CrockOGrimaldi
This is a shock given North Dakota’s total commitment to academics
- Scpa0305
  You have to be the trashiest person on this site.
  - YourPicksSucked
    Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!
    - nogofer
      That is the sound of gofers flying home Friday…
SIOUXFAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m extremely disappointed in Mr. Nelsons’ decision to leave early. No doubt he has a tremendous gift, and an overall great hockey work ethic but I feel as if there was still much left for him to do on the ice while wearing green and white.
- Scpa0305
  Yeah…well he’s gone. When you get drafted in the first round you usually bounce after 2 years….max of three. I was crossing my fingers but I knew this was a huge possibility. If, for some lucky reason, all out underclassmen would have came back….our team would have been stacked next seasonl
Dafurne
garth snow was an excellent college player an average pro and he’s still searching for the next mike bossy and may have found him but saying snow has no respect for college players only makes me wonder how many other draft choices in college have said no to him?
SaveMaineHockey
Snowy, draft and grab some guys from BC will ya!
Timt89
I am sure he will return some day to complete his studies in communications so he can get the prestigious Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from UND.
- Brock_Fan
  Actually, his major is finance.
- collegehockeyfan
  you can say that about all 21 players who have left early. I’m guessing that your school has also had a player leave, and for that… we thank you.
sufan
Best wishes to Nelson. Hell of a person and player. Not NHL size ready though. Needed a couple years to bulk up to be NHL ready. He will be dearly missed.
Slava
Garth Snow would be better off going for players who come from a program where the players actually had championship wins in their lifetimes. I guess Snow has the safety net of not having pressure to win it all on a yearly basis. Oh wait a minute. Just like UND
- Suture
  Wait a minute here Slob, are you serious? Is there one single program in the country
  that has put together a 10…no 15-20…year run like North Dakota? Ummm, let me see…ummm….NO!!! You are a real tool. If you use ANY criteria you lose trying to bring
  down the mighty Sioux. Now, I am assuming you have the cognitive ability of at
  least a 6th grader. If you do, I think
  you will be able to use multiple criteria to come to this conclusion. Listen, if you are so jealous that all you
  can do is criticize a team, a person or a state then look in the
  mirror….right now….and just say to yourself…”boy, I really am a
  major, major tool.” “I really have no life and try to get attention by
  criticizing others….how big of a loser am I?”
  Go ahead, do this….then go back to remedial school and get a
  life…..doorknob!
  - bahaha
    BC. You know, the team that routinely beats UND on the way to National Championships?
    - collegehockeyfan
      Most would agree BC is the top program in the nation right now. Michigan, North Dakota, BU, Maine… are all on very great streaks right now. Nobody is disagreeing that BC is on a great run.
      - Guest
        Michigan, Boston U, Maine and North Dakota are all sitting home right now…. How is that on a good streak?
      - collegehockeyfan
        They have all been in the FF a lot recently. The ability to compete at that level every year puts them on a streak!
  - SoaringEagle
    I don’t think anyone alive remembers those titles. Kind of like saying the Chicago Cubs won the world series. At somee point you have to it again. Kind of like the Toronto Maple Leafs saying they’ve won more Stanley Cups than Tampa Bay and Carolina combined.
    All I’m saying is that North Dakota seems to recruit all these ranked kids, then the kids have a lot of drinking issues, they get involved in a lot of on-ice cheap shot incidents, and they haven’t won anything in, what? 12 years? And the fans keep trying to shout over the fans of ohhhhh, BC! who still remember how to win!
    - icelund
      They remember how to win? They seem to have learned that little trick recently. How many years did the Eagles go without a title prior to 2001? 50 years?
    - collegehockeyfan
      Just like the great school of BU and assault/rape!
  - Guest
    They dont have a nickname.. Quit calling them they ????????
    - NotMike..
      Yes they do. It’s reinstated until North Dakotans vote on a referendum in June. Go Gophers.
      - Guest
        Doesn’t matter what North DAkota votes on… NCAA will not accept it? Where they call the ???????? ????? in the NCAA tournament? NO so they nickname is not reinstated!
      - Fan Man
        I wont ever mind wearing those “old school” UND jerseys in the Regionals or Frozen Four! Doesnt bother me a bit!!! Kick ace in the Sioux jersey during the season and playoffs, then go old school on the country for Nationals…
- Mattgotts
  7 national championships tied with Denver for second behind Michigan. Get ur facts straight. U sound like an idiot!!
  - ItsBeenOverADecade
    I love how you guys are always trotting out the 7 titles bit. You’re like the guy in my office that reminds everyone he went to Harvard at least twice a week.
  - CrockOGrimaldi
    Matt, how many other titles have been won since your last championship and nice to include ones from years where there isn’t a single person alive who was on the team. I actually would say if you want to talk recent years, I give you guys two in the last 25 years. That makes North Dakota kind of a bottom tier group of underachievers among the top recruiters. Denver, BC and Minnesota have so much more of a recent run than the Sue.
    - icelund
      Jason Blake won a championship with North Dakota in 1997, and currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks.
      Fun Fact: In order to play for an NHL team, one generally needs to be alive. You don’t seem quite bright enough to have grasped that though.
    - Guest
      It took the goofs 23 years in between their back to backs…
    - nogofer
      59, 63, 80, 82, 87, 97, 2000
    - Mattgotts
      None. But good question “how many titles have we won since our last”? U pretty much answered ur question in ur question, genius!!!! Lmao wow
guest
Win win for Nelson. He can make a little money and stop wearing that hideous looking uni.
- Fan Man
  That hideous looking jersey was voted the best looking jersey in all of North America a few years ago…
  - guest
    Oh you must mean the The Hockey News Poll. Great Job. A “tournament style” vote. Just an FYI dig a little deeper in your poll. They didn’t even have you ranked top in your conference. As in all single elimination tournament play the “best team (or jersey)” doesn’t always win. I’m sure the story of a best jersey poll and getting people to vote was front page news in every N.D. newspaper. As with a couple other random jersey’s that showed up on that voting radar. Not for nothing but if the two knuckleheads (wearing the ”best” jersey) sitting in front of me at the regionals were any indication of the fan base then it just bolsters my dislike of that uniform. I just certainly hope that those stupid sneaker/shoe things that have actual toes and acid wash jeans aren’t standard attire for that population.
    - Gopherstudent
      I’m a Gopher fan and, dude… who cares? He was responding to the trolling about the ugly jersey as he was supposed to. I agree, Sioux fans do not give a good impression … two knuckleheads.. were you sitting in section 115? Because I remember two extremely annoying Sioux fans as well.
    - Fan Man
      Gopher Fans have a lack or respect and class as well! Lets not get
      into the calling the kettle black argument AGAIN please… We all know
      there are bad fans on both sides leave it at that! I like the
      comment on the toe/shoes though, I dont really get those either and its pretty ridiculous that someone would wear those to the game. They must have thought you guys (Gopher Fans) were going to come out of your holes and chase him up a tree LOL
      Which I guess you did in the Regionals hahahaha
  - Guest
    As a Gopher fan the UND sweater gets my vote as the second best looking sweater in all of collegiate hockey.
  - GetAGrip
    You UND fans are very thin skinned.
    - Scott Reed
      Just very defensive because everybody likes to run their mouths about us…
      And just so you don’t reply the which came first the chicken or the egg argument isn’t going anywhere.
Hockeyfan
ND will be just fine. Their underclassmen were awesome and with another year’s experience will step up the plate as they always do.
Unlike other teams, the Fighting Sioux don’t have rebuilding years. They RELOAD!!!
- David_rajala
  …from Canada. (that line is and has always been the Gopher’s, nice try though)
  - guest
    Nelson was from Minnesota….
  - collegehockeyfan
    The jealously that brock didn’t go to the U just because he is from Minnesota is showing…
    - Guest
      Obvisouly we didn’t need him or want him. He is sitting home, we are playing tonight!
      To many good players in the State of Minnesota to keep evryone… How about North Dakota? Your best came to Minnesota and won championships… Yeah the Potulny’s, how did that work out for you? Worked great for us!
      With out Canada or Minnesota, North Dakota wouldn’t have a Division I hockey team, let alone a good one!
      So just say thank you North Dakota, to Canada and Minnesota for making your hockey releavant!
      - Fan Man
        Thank You! And while we are at it.. Thanks to California, Illinois, Michigan, and every other hockey proud states in the country (Alaska I forgot) that develop top notch AMERICAN born players that choose to play with their heads and not their wallets! i.e. CHL
      - collegehockeyfan
        It was more directed at the fact that not all our North Dakota’s players come from Canada as the previous comment was directed, some Minnesota fans only bank on that North Dakota only uses 24 year old freshman Canadians. North Dakota has traditionally pulled from multiple places(yes several have been from Canada), but also, the University is located extremely close to Winnipeg, a large fan base for North Dakota is located there so it makes sense that some Canadian players want to play College Hockey(Which is great for the sport!). At the same time, they pull very good players from Minnesota. Didn’t mean to bash Minnesota, because they can pull a full team of great players from their home state, it’s pretty unique how they can do that!
      - UNDalum
        Maybe you could have Bjugstad join Brock on his couch to watch the championship!
      - nogofer
        Did bugs sign yet?
  - nogofer
    So how is that rebuilding doing for you rodents now? Bye… Have a nice flight… Tip your flight attendants…
Holmesaaaa
yeah, they reload with 24 year old canadian freshman!
- Fan Man
  Name one please Idiot?
  - nogofer
    One idiot is Holmesaaaa… What do I win?
Swatter
Does Nelson now have the money to buy all that weird stuff Ralph Engelstadt collected? You know what I mean Sue
Don Barcome, Jr
Best of Luck Brock in the NHL. Damned proud of you. Hoping that you follow the footsteps of many of your fellow Fighting Sioux NHL ayers & come on back to finish your degree. As much as I am proud of your on-ice accomplishments, you’ve done the program proud in the classroom. Wonder how many other hockey teams can compare grade point averages with the Fighting Sioux?

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