The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced
the complete schedule for the 2013-14 season, including the first event
of the season at the 11th annual NAHL Showcase, which will be held from
September 19-22 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.
The NAPHL, which will be celebrating its fifth anniversary season
in 2013-14, is composed of 16 Midget Major (18U) and 16 Midget Minor
(16U) teams from across North America that compete at the USA Hockey
Tier I level. The NAPHL continues to establish itself as the premiere
training ground for development and is designed to maximize the exposure
of all the participants through the NAHL's high-profile recruiting
events which attract hundreds of junior, college and professional
scouts. Not only did several former NAPHL players get drafted by NHL
clubs in the recent 2013 NHL Entry Draft, but several per season are
receiving scholarships to NCAA Division I schools and even more on top
of that are being drafted and tendered by top junior programs across
North America.
“In just five short years, the NAPHL has become one of the elite leagues of its kind in the United States,” said Denny Scanlon,
Director of the NAPHL. “We are seeing the ladder of development in
action with several of our NAPHL alumni going from the NAPHL, to junior
hockey, to the NCAA. Last year there were three NAPHL Alumni selected
in the NHL Draft, and we are excited to see this year’s group of
up-and-coming players.”
Each NAPHL 18U team will play 24 regular season games and each
NAPHL 16U team will play 20 regular season games during the 2013-14
season. The seven events that compose the NAPHL regular season schedule
are spread amongst five locations. The Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, MN
and the Troy Sports Center in Troy, MI will each host two events, while
Sharks Ice in San Jose, California, Canlan Ice Sports in Romeoville,
Illinois and Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio will host the others.
Each NAPHL organization will field both an 18U and 16U team during the
2013-14 season.
The 18U and 16U teams for the 2013-14 season are (alphabetical):
Anaheim Jr. Ducks, Atlanta Fire, California Titans, Cleveland Jr.
Lumberjacks, Detroit Falcons, Esmark Stars, Lansing Capitals, New Jersey
Jr. Titans, Omaha AAA Hockey Club, Phoenix Firebirds, Pikes Peak
Miners, Pursuit of Excellence, San Jose Jr. Sharks, St. Louis Selects,
Texas Tornado and the West Michigan Hounds.
A minimum of four playoff games will be played in addition at the
season-ending NAPHL Championship Series in February. The top eight teams
in each division from the regular season will qualify for the
championship playoff bracket. The remaining eight teams will then play
in a consolation bracket. The NAPHL season will conclude with the
annual Top Prospects Tournament. Details and a schedule for the 2014
NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament will be released on a future date.
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
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