Press Release
The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) announced its
Pointstreak Peak Performers from the NAPHL East Showcase event in
Romeoville, Illinois. The players were selected based upon their
performance at the third NAPHL showcase event of the season, which was
held at Canlan Ice Sports in Romeoville, Illinois, from November 9-12,
2012.
MIDGET MAJOR (18U) POINTSTREAK PEAK PERFORMER-Trevor Recktenwald, forward, Pittsburgh Viper Stars
The Pittsburgh Viper Stars 18U team was one of two teams in the
18U Division that went undefeated at the NAPHL East Showcase in
Romeoville, Illinois, from November 9-12, and one of the big reasons was
the play of forward Trevor Recktenwald. The 18-year-old from Venetia,
Pennsylvania, was selected as the 18U Pointstreak Peak Performer from
the NAPHL event in Romeoville as he registered seven points (4 goals, 3
assists) in four games and led the Viper Stars to a perfect 4-0-0
record.
Described as a true ‘power forward,’ Recktenwald (6’2/205) is in his
second season with the Viper Stars 18U team. Head coach Dave Kosik
believes that Recktenwald’s development as a player is really coming to a
peak. “Trevor’s real progress started two years ago and we made a
decision to where he wanted to take his game to. He had a renewed focus
to really becoming a better player, who is now understanding how to
utilize his size and start getting some attention from scouts,” said
Kosick. “His play at the NAPHL East Showcase in Romeoville was a nice
glimpse of where his game is now. There was a lot of interest in him
and I think it is only a matter of time before he decides on the next
step and where that will be.”
Recktenwald and the Viper Stars began the event by handing the
Indiana Jr. Ice their only loss of the event by a 4-2 score.
Recktenwald had two goals, including the game-winning goal early in the
2nd period. After going scoreless, but playing good two-way hockey in
the second game, which was a 3-0 shutout of the California Titans,
Recktenwald went off in his third game of the weekend. Recktenwald
scored two goals and added three assists for a five-point game in an 8-2
win over the Atlanta Fire. “I think the team was a lot more consistent
in Romeoville than we were in Blaine,” said Kosick. “The players are
starting to work together, gel together better and played with some
urgency. You only have so many games to make an impact in the standings
and in front of the scouts, so you have to make sure every game
counts. They were able to do that.”
In the final game, the Viper Stars completed a perfect Romeoville
event with a 3-0 shutout, their second of the event, over the West
Michigan Hounds. Recktenwald’s talents were again on display, something
that Kosick noticed and also heard from scouts. “Trevor is a true
power forward because of his size and his play. He loves to go
North/South with the puck, he has a huge wing span and drives to the net
hard. He is built for the next level and if keeps putting that
together with his improving skill, it will really make him a special
player down the road. He understands he can play to those strengths and
utilize his size to the best of his ability.”
MIDGET MINOR (16U) POINTSTREAK PEAK PERFORMER-Tim Gelatt, defenseman, New Jersey Jr. Titans
It was quite the couple of weeks for the New Jersey Jr. Titans
leading up the event in Romeoville. Less than two weeks prior to the
event, Hurricane Sandy had a direct hit on New Jersey, leaving the
Titans players displaced and scrambling. The last thing on their minds
was hockey and it was even questionable if they were going to be able to
make the event in Romeoville. However, the Jr. Titans rallied together
and without practicing for almost two weeks, made it to the event and
put together a remarkable 3-0-1 record at the event. Through two events
the Jr. Titans are looking good with a 6-1-1 record and occupy 2nd
place in the 16U Blue Division.
One of the big contributors on both sides of the puck was New Jersey
16U defenseman Tim Gelatt. The 16-year-old from Middletown, New Jersey,
had a remarkable NAPHL East Showcase, as he vaulted himself into a tie
for the league lead in scoring for all defensemen. In the four games in
Romeoville, Gelatt (5’11/195) recorded six points (2 goals, 4 assists)
as New Jersey posted a 3-0-1 record. “I was really proud of all our
guys, including Tim, for being able to respond the way they did,” said
Jr. Titans 16U head coach George Haviland. “We weren’t able to practice
for two weeks leading up the event and there was a question if we were
going to be able to go, but the consensus among the players and the
parents was that they wanted to go, get back to normal and just play
hockey for a few days. The guys were excited to get back on the ice and
were motivated to play well.”
Gelatt and the Jr. Titans began with a very tough game against an
unbeaten Omaha AAA 16U squad, who are regarded as one of the top teams
in the NAPHL and maybe in the country for that matter. Gelatt responded
with a shorthanded goal and assisted on the game-tying goal in the 3rd
period to send the game to a shootout, where they lost, but gained a
valuable point against a very good team. “We played very well against a
very good Omaha club and Tim was at the forefront. As our captain, he
is such a good leader and he has such good abilities both offensively
and defensively,” said Haviland. “I thought he played outstanding all
weekend and it started in the game with Omaha as he really put the team
on his back to get the game into a shootout and get us a valuable
point.”
Gelatt’s and the team’s performance only got better from there as the
Titans then rattled off three more wins. After being held scoreless in
New Jersey’s second game, a 2-1 win over Detroit, Gelatt posted two
assists in a 4-3 shootout win over the Indiana Jr. Ice. Gelatt assisted
on New Jersey’s final two goals of the game, which both came in the 3rd
period after they trailed 3-0 at one point. In New Jersey’s final
game, Gelatt again posted more 3rd period heroics as he scored the
game-tying goal and then assisted on the game-winner in a 2-1 win over
the Atlanta Fire.
“Tim is our go to guy on the power play, is the main staple on the
penalty kill and has really improved in the last year. He has really
good size and strength. He makes very good passes, can move the puck
and he has a really good shot,” said Haviland. “I think most
importantly though, is that Tim is a coachable and motivated player. He
is focused on getting to the next level and wants to play Junior A
hockey. Long term, he is very capable of developing into an NCAA
player. I have coaching a long time now, and I think Tim is one of
those special players who is going to keep getting better and achieve
his goals because he works very hard and possesses a lot of skill. We
are very fortunate to have him as our captain and leader.”
The fourth NAPHL event of the 2012-13 season will take place from
November 30-December 3 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota,
and will feature all 36 teams in the NAPHL. The event will be played in
cooperation with all 17 teams from the North American 3 Hockey League
(NA3HL). The NAPHL is comprised of seven regular-season events leading
up to its Championship Tournament Series in which the top teams at each
level compete for a league championship. The PHL season concludes with
its Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held in conjunction with the
NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Tournament in May 2013.
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
Saturday, November 24, 2012
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