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R O C K N E L S O N WA S D R A F T E D BY T H E N EW YORK ISLANDERS and spent parts of 12 seasons with the franchise. Then he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2025. Switching teams is always a change and adjustment, especially moving across time zones and NHL conferences. "That was probably the hardest part, adjusting to the logistical side of it, the trav- el aspect of it," Nelson said. "Especially going from New York where I was so programmed to one way for so long." Nelson, a center who turns 35 years old this month, has more than 1,000 career games in the NHL, scoring 334 goals and 652 points along the way. On the ice, the Warroad, Minnesota, native, produced results with his new team. He scored 33 goals and 65 points in his first full season with the Avalanche in 2025-26, ranking fourth on the team in scoring. Going from the Islanders to the Avalanche, Nelson put himself in a mindset to "just go with the flow" and stay in the present, which helped. Another difficult aspect of the in-season trade was being separated from his wife and children for longer periods of time. Nelson adjusted, and he'd advise any young hockey players to lean on their connections, use resources and ask questions to help with any transition to a new team. "It's so unfamiliar when you go to a differ- ent spot that just lean on whoever, maybe a teammate, friend, coach or whoever to just help you acclimate and then just take it day by day," Nelson said. "Just go out there and have fun with it. You want to feel at ease with everything, and I think just getting the answers from everybody will help with that." The Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the league but lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals, falling short of their championship goal. "A lot of people thought that we were going to get it done with the year that we had and winning the Presidents' Trophy," Nelson said. "To have it abruptly end like that left a bad taste in everybody's mouth." As players were preparing for the new season, Nelson could tell the mentality of the players is they "want to get after it right away," he said. Winning the Stanley Cup is very much the aspiration for the Avalanche once again. Nelson said this season will be about players pushing themselves, always learning and finding different ways to attack. "Our window is obviously now," Nelson said. D e s p i t e t h e l o s s i n t h e S t a n l ey C u p Playoffs last spring, Nelson made mem- ories and hockey history as a member of the gold-medal winning 2026 U.S. Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team. One of the best parts of the experience, Nelson said, was having his wife and children with him at the Olympics to share in the experience. "They were along for the whole ride, which is awesome," Nelson said. "They were super into it. "Obviously, winning it was the cherry on top, too. To share it with them was so awesome and something we'll remember forever." Nelson carried on a family legacy too. His great uncle, Roger Christian, and grandfa- ther, Billy Christian, helped the United States win gold at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. Nelson's uncle, Dave Christian, was on the Miracle On Ice gold-medal squad in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. N e l s o n 's u n c l e a t t e n d e d t h e 2 0 2 6 Olympics, including the gold-medal game. "We got a good photo of us after just cele- brating at the Olympic house," Nelson said. "Pretty crazy just to think about the history. "My grandfather was one of my biggest supporters and fans right from day one and always has been. I never felt any pressure to do anything other than what I'm doing, just play in the NHL, and to have that and share it with him has just been awesome." P NELSON WAS A FINALIST FOR THE 2026 SELKE TROPHY, AWARDED ANNUALLY TO THE FORWARD VOTED BEST TO EXCEL IN THE DEFENSIVE ASPECTS OF THE GAME. 334 CAREER GOALS 33 GOALS 65 POINTS IN 2025-26 652 CAREER POINTS OCTOBER 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 41 Just go out there and have fun with it. You want to feel at ease with everything, and I think just getting the answers from everybody will help with that." –Brock Nelson N E L S O N B Y T H E N U M B E R S NHL GAMES 1001 WATCH: Brock Nelson Recieves Video Tribute, Standing Ovation in Return to New York