NAHL opens 41st season this weekend

September 9, 2016

The 41st season of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) faces off this weekend as five teams take to the ice to open the 2016-17 regular season.

 

In the East Division, the Johnstown Tomahawks will travel to play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights for two games on September 9-10.

 

In the South Division, the Amarillo Bulls will be in action twice, as they travel to Wichita Falls to take on the Wildcats on Friday, September 9th and then turn around to host the Odessa Jackalopes on Saturday, September 10th.

 

Watch all NAHL regular season games live on FASTHockey

 

Fans can also follow live scores via LeagueStat

 

Click here for information on the NAHL Showcase

 

The NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs, who were crowned as the 2016 NAHL Robertson Cup National Champions back in May, will open their title defense on September 15th on the road in Topeka against the RoadRunners.

 

The NAHL, the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 24 teams from across North America, prides itself on the social maturity and skill development of student-athletes ages 16-20 with aspirations of advancing to collegiate and/or professional hockey. During the 2015-16 season, the NAHL set a new single-season record with 259 NCAA commitments, 67% of which were NCAA Division I commitments. In addition, five current NAHL players were selected in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

 

The dedication in the development of the players is also demonstrated in the league’s annual exposure events like the upcoming NAHL Showcase and the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in February, which have evolved into hockey's most prominent and popular of its kind, and are a must for NCAA program and NHL team.