Offensive talent on display on Day 1 of Top Prospects

February 18, 2019

Day 1 of the 2019 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament took place on Monday, February 18th and the new location in Attleboro, Massachusetts did not disappoint. 

 

Over 200+ NHL, NCAA, and junior scouts were in the building for Day 1 of the event, which featured high-scoring, good goaltending, and fast-paced play that allowed the NAHL players to create and showcase their skills.

 

Day 2 is on Tuesday, February 19th as all teams and players play in their second and final game before heading back to their cities to continue the regular season this weekend.

 

 

 

Game 1: South Division 4 vs. NAHL Selects Red – It was a dominant performance for the South Division in Game 1 of the 2019 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. The NAHL’s leading goal-scorer Logan Jenuwine (Amarillo) wasted no time in wowing the scouts with a highlight-reel goal on a give-and-go to give the South the lead in the early stages of the 1st period. The lead swelled to 2-0 as again Jenuwine made things happen with a nice dangle in the offensive zone as he got a shot off that was saved by Selects goalie Jack Williams (Springfield), but Anton Rubtsov (Shreveport) picked up the rebound and potted it home. Late in the period, the South went up 3-0 as Jake Stella (Corpus Christi) smashed home a pass in front after some nice work from linemate Frank Trazzera (Lone Star) to send a pass from behind the net. The South scored their final goal of the game in the 2nd period as Trey Bagwell (Amarillo) converted on a 2 on 1 pass from Kyle Moore (Corpus Christi) to sneak on by Selects goalie Cole Brady (Janesville). In goal for the South, netminders Emil Gransoe (Topeka), 12 saves, and Leo Chuard (Shreveport), 13 saves combined for the 25-save shutout. Williams made 20 saves in the loss, while Brady allowed just one goal in 18 shots in the loss for the Selects. Boxscore

 

Game 2: East Division 2 vs. Central Division 1 – It was a goaltending showcase in Game 2 of the 2019 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament as all four goalies for each side showed off their skills. It wasn’t until the final minute of the 1st period that either team found the back of the net. The Central Division opened the scoring as Kyle Herbster (Austin) parked him self in front and roofed a pass from teammate Dante Zapata (Austin) for a 1-0 lead. It wasn’t until early in the 3rd period that the East finally got on the scoreboard thanks to hometown hero Matt Rutigliano (Northeast) who potted home a backhand shot that finally broke the wall of Central goalie Nick Grabko (Minot) to tie the game at 1-1. Just :46 seconds later, the East Division took the lead for good as a nice individual effort from Auggie Moore (Jamestown) gave the East a 2-1 advantage. The underlying story of the game was the play of all four goaltenders. East goalies Ryan Keane (Jamestown) made 17 saves on 18 shots and David Tomeo (Maryland) stopped all seven shots that came his way. Meanwhile, Central goalie George McBey (Brookings) stopped all 13 shots that came his way, while Grabko stopped 12 of 14 shots. Boxscore

 

Game 3: NAHL Selects Blue 6 vs. Midwest Division 2 – Carson Briere (Johnstown) and Colin Schmidt (Jamestown) each had three-point games as the NAHL Selects Blue recorded a 6-2 win over the Midwest Division on the final game of Day 1 of the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. Early on it was the Carson Briere show as the Tomahawks forward scored the opening two goals and assisted on one from Schmidt to put the Selects ahead, 3-0. The lead swelled to 4-0 late in the 2nd period as defenseman Thomas Jarman (Maryland) netted a goal from the point through traffic. Later in the period, Ethan Harrison (Shreveport) scored to make it 5-0 for the Selects. With just :31 seconds remaining in the middle frame, the Midwest got their first goal of the game as Max Brainin (Springfield) converted on a 2 on 1. Early the 3rd period, the Midwest cut into the lead again as this time Ty Proffitt (Fairbanks) got behind the defense to slip one in. Less than two minutes later, the scoring was rounded out by Selects Blue forward and Robert Morris commit Santeri Hartikainen (Corpus Christi), who scored on a breakaway to make it a 6-2 final. Selects Blue goalie Ethan Haider (MN Magicians) was perfect stopping all 17 shots he saw, while Samuel Vyletelka (Corpus Christi) allowed two goals on 14 shots. For the Midwest, Igor Samokhvalov (Chippewa) allowed four goals on 15 shots and Janis Voris (Springfield) allowed two goals on 18 shots. Boxscore