Brock Nelson is proof that Warroad – whose homegrown players have more Olympic hockey medals than the town has stoplights and gas stations combined – is still pumping out purebred skaters.

Nelson’s bloodline runs deep. He is the grandson of “Hockeytown USA” native and 1960 U.S. Olympic Hockey gold medalist Bill Christian and the nephew of Dave Christian, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.

The 2010 Warroad High School graduate, who was selected 30th by the New York Islanders in the NHL Early Entry Draft his senior year, is off to a stellar start in his second season playing hockey at the highest professional level.

Through 27 games Nelson was the Islanders’ top goal scorer with 12 (to go along with 11 assists), and the 23-year-old center had as many goals as Alex Ovechkin and more than Sidney Crosby with seven (second in the league) on the power play.

“He just keeps getting better every year,” former Warroad co-head coach Dennis Fermoyle said. “The first year at North Dakota, he was third line and didn’t score much. But his second year, he was their top scorer. Last year in New York, he had a pretty decent year and this year he’s just lighting it up.”

Nelson is blessed with size (he’s 6-foot-3, 196 pounds), talent and a tremendous support system that helps him navigate the difficult road to the NHL.

“My family has been the biggest part of my success,” Nelson said. “My uncle (Dave Christian), grandpa (Bill Christian) and mom have been my biggest supporters from the get-go. I still get messages from grandpa before games wishing me luck.”

His boosters, however, extend beyond his family and include Fermoyle, whose impact on Nelson is evident. 

Nelson said Fermoyle is one of the wisest men he knows on or off the ice, and Nelson’s former teacher has the same perspective on his onetime pupil.

“I had him in social studies and (Advanced Placement) government in high school and he was a really bright kid,” Fermoyle said. “He learns. He definitely learns. You just know he will take care of himself and not do anything stupid.”

Former Warroad co-head coach Albert Hasbargen said Nelson took pride in doing the little things, like winning draws and tying up players, which made him a weapon in all three zones.

“A lot of good scoring forwards take glory in the scoring and forget about defense, but Brock didn’t think like that,” Hasbargen said. “He worked real hard on all parts of the game and took pride at both ends of the rink. He understood that there was a strategy to the game – that you didn’t just skate up and down the ice. If I drew up a play, he would understand it and do it to the best of his ability.”

Nelson, a 2010 Mr. Hockey finalist, posted 190 points (111 goals, 79 assists) in his three high school seasons. 

Fermoyle and Hasbargen struggled to come up with a defining moment for Nelson’s high school career, claiming he was so consistent that it’s tough to pick just one.  Both former coaches, however, praised Nelson for his high character, a trait illustrated by a specific act of generosity he committed last summer. 

“(He) was back in Warroad working out with the football players,” Fermoyle said. “The football team had some really rag-tag gear and Brock bought them all new pairs of shorts – he never even played football. It’s just the kind of guy he is.”

Nelson couldn’t pick a defining moment either, but has several fond memories of his time playing in Warroad. He especially cherished the trips the Warriors made to St. Paul.

“All the state tournaments, just getting there from a small school, were amazing,” he said. “And to have the whole town follow on the six-hour drive made it that much better. Coming from a town of 1,700 people to the Xcel (Energy Center) was just crazy.”

Nelson never won a state championship, but his performance playing three years on the Warriors’ varsity team earned him a scholarship to the University of North Dakota, where he starred as a true freshman for coach Dave Hakstol.

“It was kind of intimidating playing for Hakstol,” Nelson said. “He’s a hard guy to get a read on, but everyone knows when you’re at the rink, it’s time for business. If you get a little smile out of him, you know he’s having a good day.”

Nelson scored 68 points (36 goals, 32 assists) in two NCAA seasons. He went on to play a year with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ affiliate in the American Hockey League, before being called up to New York for the 2013-14 season.

“Compared to Warroad, Grand Forks was a big city,” he said. “Now I realize it’s maybe a big town. New York (City) is obviously way bigger than anything where I came from. Out here, it’s a whole different lifestyle. Back home, 20 miles is a 20-minute drive. Out here, it’s an hour.”

Nelson is a long way from Warroad, but he’s found that he’s really not far from Minnesota with Eden Prairie’s Nick Leddy and Edina’s Anders Lee as teammates.

“It’s pretty cool having them around,” Nelson said. “A lot of the locker room talk is about Minnesota and high school and college hockey. We get to look back and talk about some of the things we did playing against each other in high school. Nick and Anders know each other a little better than I know them, but we all get along great, and it’s great to have the Minnesota connection.”