J. D. Forrest

Last updated

J. D. Forrest
Justin Forrest.jpg
Forrest with Oulun Kärpät in 2009
Born (1981-04-15) April 15, 1981 (age 44)
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for SaiPa Lappeenranta
Ässät Pori
Kärpät Oulu
Jokerit Helsinki
Kloten Flyers
Malmö Redhawks
Augsburger Panther
NHL draft 181st overall, 2000
Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career 20042014

Justin David "J.D." Forrest (born April 15, 1981) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former professional defenseman.

Contents

Playing career

Forrest spent four seasons playing for Boston College, where he was part of the team that won the NCAA Championship in 2001 and earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors. In 2003, he was named a Second-Team All-American by the ACHA and served as an alternate captain during his final two seasons before graduating in 2004. Following college, he launched a long professional hockey career that included time in North America and Europe, playing in Finland's Liiga, Switzerland's National League A, and the American Hockey League. He concluded his playing career in 2014 after spending two seasons with the Augsburger Panther in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga. [1]

Coaching career

After retiring from professional hockey, Forrest began his coaching career as an assistant with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he helped lead the team to a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. He then spent a season coaching the affiliate team of EC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. On August 2, 2016, the Pittsburgh Penguins appointed him as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [2]

He was promoted to the position of head coach on September 11, 2020. [3]

On April 28, 2024, the Penguins announced that they would not be extending the contract of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach J.D. Forrest. [4] He subsequently joined the Syracuse Crunch as an assistant coach. [5]

Awards and honors

AwardYear
All-Hockey East Rookie Team 2000–01
All-Hockey East Second Team 2002–03
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 2002–03

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1997–98 US NTDP U18 NAHL 41216182050112
1997–98US NTDP Juniors USHL 520217
1998–99US NTDP U18NAHL21014
1998–99US NTDP JuniorsUSHL485212634
1999–2000US NTDP U18NAHL49628344630006
1999–2000US NTDP JuniorsUSHL80002
2000–01 Boston College HE 386162240
2001–02 Boston CollegeHE358192728
2002–03 Boston CollegeHE346253128
2003–04 Boston CollegeHE374131726
2004–05 SaiPa SM-liiga 537121944
2005–06 Ässät SM-liiga436511691404414
2007–08 Albany River Rats AHL 19371016
2007–08 Florida Everblades ECHL 121786
2007–08 Elmira Jackals ECHL20002
2007–08 Worcester Sharks AHL1614510
2008–09 Kärpät SM-liiga5252833601533610
2009–10 KärpätSM-liiga1725720
2009–10 Kloten Flyers NLA 307202718100552
2010–11 KärpätSM-liiga41320232270114
2011–12 Malmö Redhawks Allsv 50413173210000
2012–13 Augsburger Panther DEL 32213152420002
2013–14 Augsburger PantherDEL514182220
SM-liiga totals20623709321536381128

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1999 United States WJC18 612310
2001 United States WJC 71128
Junior totals1323518

References

  1. "Elite Prospects - J.D. Forrest". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  2. "Chris Taylor, J.D. Forrest Named WBS Penguins Assistant Coaches". The Official Web Site - Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  3. "Forrest Named Head Coach, Karmanos named GM of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton". WBS Penguins. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  4. "Penguins Announce Changes with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Coaching Staff | Pittsburgh Penguins". www.nhl.com. April 28, 2024.
  5. "J.D. Forrest Named Syracuse Crunch Assistant Coach". Syracuse Crunch. June 26, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2025.