J. D. Forrest

Justin David "J.D." Forrest (born April 15, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and former head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League.

J. D. Forrest
Forrest with Oulun Kärpät in 2009
Born	(1981-04-15) April 15, 1981 (age 43) Auburn, New York, U.S.
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	2004–2014

Playing career

Forrest played four years with Boston College winning the NCAA Championship in 2001 whilst earning Hockey East All-Rookie honors. He was an ACHA Second-Team All-American in 2003 before graduating in 2004, serving as an alternate captain in both years. He then embarked on a lengthy professional career in Europe and North America with stints in Finland's Liiga, Switzerland's National League A as well as the American Hockey League. He retired in 2014 following two seasons with the Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany.^[1]

Coaching career

Following his retirement, Forrest was an assistant coach with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program winning Gold at the Under-18 IIHF World Championships in 2015. He then coached the farm club of EC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria for one season, before he was named by the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 2, 2016 as an assistant coach for their affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.^[2]

He earned a promotion to head coach on September 11, 2020.^[3]

The Penguins announced on April 28, 2024 that they "will not renew the contracts of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach J.D. Forrest.^[4]

Awards and honors

Award	Year
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	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	US NTDP U18	NAHL		41	2	16	18	20		5	0	1	1	2
1997–98	US NTDP Juniors	USHL		5	2	0	2	17		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	US NTDP U18	NAHL		2	1	0	1	4		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	US NTDP Juniors	USHL		48	5	21	26	34		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	US NTDP U18	NAHL		49	6	28	34	46		3	0	0	0	6
1999–2000	US NTDP Juniors	USHL		8	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Boston College	HE		38	6	16	22	40		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Boston College	HE		35	8	19	27	28		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Boston College	HE		34	6	25	31	28		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Boston College	HE		37	4	13	17	26		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	SaiPa	SM-liiga		53	7	12	19	44		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Ässät	SM-liiga		43	6	5	11	69		14	0	4	4	14
2007–08	Albany River Rats	AHL		19	3	7	10	16		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Florida Everblades	ECHL		12	1	7	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Elmira Jackals	ECHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Worcester Sharks	AHL		16	1	4	5	10		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Kärpät	SM-liiga		52	5	28	33	60		15	3	3	6	10
2009–10	Kärpät	SM-liiga		17	2	5	7	20		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Kloten Flyers	NLA		30	7	20	27	18		10	0	5	5	2
2010–11	Kärpät	SM-liiga		41	3	20	23	22		7	0	1	1	4
2011–12	Malmö Redhawks	Allsv		50	4	13	17	32		1	0	0	0	0
2012–13	Augsburger Panther	DEL		32	2	13	15	24		2	0	0	0	2
2013–14	Augsburger Panther	DEL		51	4	18	22	20		—	—	—	—	—
SM-liiga totals				206	23	70	93	215		36	3	8	11	28

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1999	United States	WJC18		6	1	2	3	10
2001	United States	WJC		7	1	1	2	8
Junior totals				13	2	3	5	18