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Stars well represented at NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament

By AK, 05/08/16, 9:45PM EDT

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Seven U18 Stars to Participate

The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) will play host to the 7th Annual NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament, May 13-15, at the Braemar Arena in Edina, MN.

80 of the top players in the NAPHL's U18 level will participate in a round-robin tournament, held in conjunction with the North American Hockey League's (NAHL) Robertson Cup Championship, which will crown the Junior A league's champion.

At the event, four teams representing four regions of the NAPHL – Central, North, South and West - will each play four games. Each team consists of a 20-man roster (12 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 goalies) as chosen by the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament Selection Committee.  All the players in the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament came from teams that played in the 18U Division this past season.

Seven members of the 2015-16 Esmark Stars U18 AAA team were selected for the event.

Playing on Team South will be defenseman Ken Dee and Hunter Fraser; and forwards Caleb Ernst, Cam Williams, Michael Lamison and Brendan Johns.

Playing on Team West will be goaltender Tre Lowe.

In addition to both the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament and the NAHL Robertson Cup Championship, there will also be a new North American Hockey League Future Prospects (NAFP) Combine during the four-day event. The Future Prospects Combine (FPC) is an innovative and unique event designed to provide exposure and education for hockey prospects that strive to play junior hockey in a premier league like the NAHL. The event will be for players born in 2000-2003 that will be introduced to and provided with a weekend that involves the 'NAHL Experience,' which will consist of competitive hockey, education of the future levels of hockey, academic preparation for NCAA hockey and exposure to professional, college, and junior scouts.

“The Top Prospects Tournament is a tremendous opportunity for our NAPHL players to play another high showcase event front of a great variety of scouts and coaches who will be attending this great event," said NAPHL Director Lucas Trombetta.

"We are delighted to once again be well represented in the Top Prospects Tournament," said Dave Kosick, head coach of the U18 AAA Esmark Stars. "This is another great opportunity for the selected players to showcase their skills and impress junior and collegiate scouts."

"Combined with the NAHL’s League Championship and our NAFP Combine, the return of the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament to the Robertson Cup Championships will add to an already exciting event," Trombetta added. "Statistics and history has shown that the majority of players who play in the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament each season end up with an opportunity at the higher levels of junior hockey in leagues like the NAHL.”

2016 NAPHL Top Prospects schedule:
Friday, May 13th: Central vs. North, 12:30 pm; South vs. West, 12:45 pm
Saturday, May 14th: Central vs. South, 10:30 am; North vs. West, 11:00 am; Central vs. West, 5:00 pm; North vs. South, 5:30 pm
Sunday, May 15th: Championship Game, 10:00 am; Consolation Game, 10:15 am

The event will be broadcast live on FASTHockey.