MYHockey News
NAHL Welcomes NA3HL Players for Top Prospects Event This Week
Updated Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. EST
The annual North American Hockey League’s Top Prospects Tournament is set for Monday and Tuesday at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. This marks the first time since 2018 that the event has been held in Plymouth.
The Top Prospects Tournament is one of the most highly scouted annual hockey events in North America, with almost every National Hockey League team and NCAA Division I program having a presence. The event includes the league’s top uncommitted prospects as well as a team of potential NHL draft picks.
It doesn’t end there, however, as the NAHL traditionally holds the tournament in conjunction with one of its partner leagues, either the North American Tier 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) or the North American Tier 1 Hockey League (NAPHL T1ER).
With the NAPHL T1ER youth championship tournaments concluding Monday a 45-minute drive away in Troy, Mich., this year’s NAHL Top Prospects Tournaments includes the NA3HL event. The 2025 NAPHL T1ER Top Prospects Tournament will take place during the NA3HL Fraser Cup playoffs March 28-30 in St. Peter’s, Mo.
In 2024, the NAHL sent a record 400 players on to play NCAA hockey, with near 75 percent of them earning Division I offers. The NAHL is the only Tier 2 tuition-free junior hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. There is only one other USA Hockey-sanctioned tuition-free junior circuit, the Tier 1 United States Hockey League, which is comprised of NCAA Division I and NHL prospects.
The NA3HL is a pay-to-play Tier 3 junior league that is affiliated with the NAHL and sends many of its players on to play in the NAHL as well as at the NCAA Division III level. Also affiliated with the NAHL, the NAPHL is a youth showcase league with 18U, 16U, 15U and 14U divisions. NAPHL players and teams compete in several showcases held throughout the hockey season that are attended by coaches and scouts from all 35 NAHL organizations.
The NAHL pools its resources many times each season to bring members of its partner leagues together to compete at the same venues during the same weekends in hopes of maximizing the exposure for the players. Holding multiple events simultaneously makes it as easy as possible for higher-level coaches and scouts to see as many prospects as possible in a short period of time, so everyone wins.
The same can be said about this week’s Top Prospects Tournament. Not only are teams representing all four of the NAHL’s divisions competing, but also there are teams featuring the top NA3HL prospects.
Instead of simply showcasing its top players who already have made NCAA Division I commitments, the NAHL created the Top Prospects Tournament with the goal of getting its best uncommitted players in front of as many scouts as possible. The only committed players who will participate are those chosen by NHL Central Scouting to have the opportunity to play in front of the assembled NHL scouts.
Once again, everyone wins, and that trickles down to the NA3HL players who also are afforded the opportunity to play in front of the attending college and higher-level junior coaches and scouts. Top Prospects events are designed with the best interests of the players at the forefront, something that can’t be said about many other exposure events that are run by other organizations throughout the year.
The 2025 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament features six NAHL teams – four divisional teams, each consisting of players from their respective divisions, and two NAHL Selects teams (NAHL Selects Black and NAHL Selects Gold).
The number of players each NAHL team sends to the tournament, in which four teams from the four NAHL divisions: Central, East, Midwest and South, will each play in two game games, is based on each team’s winning percentage as of Jan. 19. NAHL Selects Black consists of players from the East, Midwest and South because of division sizes and roster limits. NAHL Selects Gold includes players selected in conjunction with the NHL Central Scouting Department.
Each team has a roster of 20 players (12 forwards, 6 defensemen, 2 goalies) for a total of 120 NAHL participants.
Similar to the roster selection, the division-team coaches were determined by team winning percentage as of Jan. 19. The first-place coach is serving as division’s head coach, while the second-place team’s coach will be the assistant . The Selects Black squad consists of players from all four divisions and are the remaining nominated uncommitted players. The head coach and assistant coach of NAHL Selects Black also are determined by winning percentage.
All NAHL Top Prospect games were streamed via NAHLTV.com.
NAHL Top Prospects Schedule
Monday, Feb. 17 at USA Hockey Arena
NAHL Selects Gold 3, NAHL South 2 (SO)
Owen Chartier and Alexander Duhon scored shootout goals, with Chartier and Niko Tournas scoring a goal apiece during regulation as the NAHL Selects Gold team won the opening game of the tourney. Carter Krenke and Ethan Hull scored for NAHL South. Carl Axelsson made 19 saves and thwarted three of four shootout attempts to earn the win in goal.
NAHL Selects Black 4, NAHL East 1
Jesse Juhola scored twice for NAHL Selects Black, with Nate Farrell and Morley Phillips scoring once apiece as they skated to a 4-1 win. Michael Manzi and Niklas Erickson combined for 22 saves in the victory. Erickson stopped all 13 shots he faced. Adam Gionta had the lone tally for NAHL East.
NAHL Central 3, NAHL Midwest 1
NAHL Central scored three times in a span of 2:13 late in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and earn a 3-1 victory. Jackson Rilei, Ludvig Mellgren and Ian Spencer scored for the winners, with Spencer also dishing out an assist. Lucas Swedein made 18 saves to earn the win in goal. Tomas Trunda potted the lone NAHL Midwest goal in the second period.
Tuesday, February 18th
NAHL South 1, NAHL East 0 (SO)
East goalies William Karphed and Austin Nicholas combined to make 31 saves, while South netminder Jackson Fuller stopped all 15 shots he faced as the teams skated to a scorless tie until the shootout. Brent Litchard and Stepan Kuznetsov scored for NAHL South in the skills contest, while only Caden Olenczak tallied for NAHL East.
NAHL Selects Black 3, NAHL Central 1
Brock Jones scored twice, including an insurance marker in the final 12 seconds and the game-winning goal, as Selects Black earned the 3-1 victory. Niklas Erickson made eight saves while facing eight shots, and Michael Manzi stopped 15 of 16 shots fired his way for the winners. Damon Cunningham made 18 saves for NAHL Central, while Luc Malkhassian scored the team's only goal.
NAHL Midwest 6, NAHL Selects Gold 4
In one of the few games that featured a lot of scoring, Midwest overcame an early 2-0 deficit by scoring six times over the game's final 44 minutes. Cole Burke tallied twice for the winners, with Logan Ganz, Caden Pendo, Daniel Bagnole and Braydon Beahm also scoring. Niko Tournas recorded a hat trick for Gold to finish the tourney with four goals, while Wyatt Sypniewski had the other goal for Selects Gold. Jakeb Lynch added a pair of helpers for the losing side. Noah Dziver dished out two assists for the winners, with Ganz adding an assist to his goal.
CLICK HERE for the NAHL Top Prospects standings
The NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament will be running concurrently with the NAHL event at USA Hockey Arena.
Each NA3HL Top Prospects team consists of a 22-player roster (12 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goalies). To be considered for the event, players must be nominated by their respective head coaches and must not be on a team competing in the Fraser Cup.
The NA3HL is in its 15th season and serves as one of the top Tier 3 junior hockey training grounds in the United States. It is the only remaining USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier 3 (pay to play) league. Thanks to events such as the Top Prospects Tournament, as well as additional and enhanced initiatives in cooperation with the NAHL that were put in place several years ago, more players from the NA3HL play, in the NAHL than any other league.
NA3HL Top Prospects Schedule
Monday, Feb. 17 at USA Hockey Arena
NA3HL White scored three straight third-period goals in a span of 3:16 to take control en route to the 6-4 win. Justin Funk and Brayden Davis scored twice for the winners, with Hugh Deinema and Wyatt Duke each tallying once. Funk and Deinema each dished out a single helper, too. Jason MiMatteo, Eli Fletcher, Ethan Miller and Caleb Waller each scored once for NA3HL Black, with Fletcher, Waller and DiMatteo adding a helper apiece. Marcus Fritel had a pair of assists for the winners, while Tanner Bonjernoor and Nick Hansen combined to make 13 saves.
Dantae Hunziker recorded two goals and two assists, with Joseph Gutierrez adding a pair of markers as NA3HL Yellow rolled to victory. Issa Murakami added 1-2-3 for the winners, while Austin Tyler, Charles Blake and Jake Bergstrom each contributed 1-1-2 and Guhnar Hillman added a pair of helpers. Chase Berg, Max Arlt and Vincent Leaf each scored for NA3HL Blue. Robert Pogosyan and Gavin Morris combined to make 22 saves for the winning side.
Tuesday, February 18th
Somehow seven different players scored for Yellow, with Dantae Hunziker, Brody Neish and Roman Vitolo also each also picking up an assist. Jake Bergrstom handed out a pair of helpers for the winners, while netminders Robert Pogosyan and Gavin Morris combined to make 17 saves. Caleb Waller tallied twice for Black.
Four players recroded multiple points for the winning Blue team, led by Max Arlt's one goal and two assists. Loghan Weber handed out a pair of assists, while Ryan Jordan and Reid Watson each contributed 1-1-2. Four different players scored for White: Jake Garrow, Thomas Gerum, Connor Dvorak and Noah Joyce. Kaden Ryder and Dylan Posch combined to make 16 saves for the winners.
All NA3HL Top Prospect games were streamed via NAHLTV.com.
CLICK HERE for the NA3HL Top Prospects standings
