GRAND FORKS, N.D. – A total of four alums from the North Dakota hockey program will be competing for Lord Stanley’s Cup beginning on Monday. Two will compete in each conference, with three starting the quest tonight.
Derek Forbort (Boston), Tyson (Jost) and Troy Stecher (Los Angeles) all look to become champions for the first time, while T.J. Oshie (Washington) aims to make it two straight Stanley Cups by UND products after being the last to win it in 2018.
Forbort’s Bruins finished as the top wild card seed in the Eastern Conference, heading to Carolina to begin the postseason Monday night. The defenseman appeared in 76 games for Boston, scoring a career-high four goals and adding 10 assists for 14 points. He also carried a plus-2 rating and averaged over 18 minutes of ice time per contest. This is both the third overall and straight postseason appearance for Forbort, playing 10 games with the Calgary Flames in 2020 and eight with Winnipeg last season.
After ffive seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, Jost was traded to the Minnesota Wild this season and helped the franchise finish second in the Central Division. In just 21 games with Minnesota, Jost scored a pair of goals and added four assists for six points. His biggest goal came in the season finale, helping the Wild secure home ice for the opening round series against the St. Louis Blues. Jost has reached the postseason in five straight seasons, having reached at least the second round in the previous three.
Stecher was another deadline acquisition, moving from Detroit to the Los Angeles Kings where he helped solidify the blue line and the third spot in the Pacific Division. Limited to just 29 games this season due to injuries, the defenseman tallied three points and averaged nearly 17 minutes of ice time, with that number jumping to nearly 19 since the move to LA, to guide the Kings to their first postseason appearance since 2018. Stecher is making his second postseason run, scoring two goals and an assist in 17 games with Vancouver in 2020.
An injury-plagued season saw Oshie held to just 44 games, but he was once again effective down the stretch for the Washington Capitals to secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The forward finished with 11 goals and 14 assists, helping one of the top power plays in the league down the stretch with 13 points on the man advantage. He is making his 12th overall postseason appearance and 10th straight dating back to 2012. Oshie captured the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals, scoring eight goals and 21 points during the run.
Eighteen different UND products have hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, most recently T.J. Oshie and Shane Gersich in 2018 with the Capitals. UND has had a player on a Stanley Cup-winning team in seven of the last 12 seasons.
UND in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Derek Forbort (Boston) vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Tyson Jost (Minnesota) vs. St. Louis Blues
T.J. Oshie (Washington) vs. Florida
Troy Stecher (Los Angeles) vs. Edmonton
*Alec Stocker Johnson, UND Athletics
