The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced the rosters
for next month’s NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, presented by Easton,
which will be held from February 17-18 at the Troy Sports Center in
Troy, Michigan.
For more information on the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, visit www.nahl.com/tpt
The number of players each NAHL team is sending to the event, in
which four teams from the four NAHL divisions: Central, Midwest, North
and South and a special fifth NAHL 18U Selects team, will each play in
two game games, was based on each team’s winning percentage within their
group as of January 20, 2014. Only those NAHL players without an NCAA
commitment are eligible to participate in the NAHL Top Prospects
Tournament, with the exception of those who will be playing on the NAHL
18U Selects team. Each of the teams consists of a 20-man roster (12
forwards, 6 defensemen, 2 goaltenders).
In a very short period of time, the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament
has become one of the most highly-scouted events of its kind. Last
season, over 170 scouts attended the event, which featured almost every
NHL team and NCAA Division I school. Over a third of the players that
competed in last year’s event ended up with an NCAA Division I
opportunity. Combined with the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament and NAPHL
Championship series, it will make for an exciting week of hockey and
provides a great opportunity for every scout and coach to get a close
look the talent in the three leagues.
2014 NAHL Top Prospects schedule:
Monday, February 17th: North vs. South, 1pm – Central vs. Midwest, 3:30pm – NAHL 18U Selects vs. TBA, 6pm
Tuesday, February 18th: Central vs. South, 1pm – Midwest vs. North, 3:30pm – NAHL 18U Selects vs. USNTDP 17-Team, 6pm
While the four NAHL divisional teams will play amongst each other
at the event, the NAHL 18U Selects Team will face a yet to be named
opponent on Monday, February 17th and then will face USA Hockey's
National Team Development Program (NTDP) U17 Team on Tuesday, February
18th. This offers a unique opportunity for the NAHL and the NTDP to
participate in a high-profile event in cooperation with one another. The
NAHL and the NTDP have a rich and productive 12-year history together,
as the NTDP was a full-time member of the NAHL from 1997-2009. The U.S.
National Under-17 Team is coached by Don Granato and is coming off
winning the World U17 Challenge title back in January 4th in Sydney,
Nova Scotia.
In conjunction with the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, all North
American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) teams - Midget Major and Midget
Minor will compete in the NAPHL Championship Tournament Series for the
right to be crowned league champions. That event runs from February
14-18, also at the Troy Sports Center in Troy, Michigan.
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) will also play their Top
Prospects Tournament during the week, as all 21 teams will be
represented amongst teams in the four divisions of the NA3HL. Each
divisional Top Prospects team will play in three games from February
17-19 at the Troy Sports Center in Troy, Michigan.
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
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