T1EHL East and Minnesota advance to 18U title game
Minnesota 4 vs. T1EHL West 1 – Minnesota picked up their first win of the 18U Top Prospects event thanks to a 4-1 win over T1EHL West. It was T1EHL West who got on the board first as just :29 seconds into the game, Mason Rudrud scored what would be the team’s lone goal of the game. Minnesota answered three minutes later as Nick Troutwine scored to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the 1st period, Minnesota seized control with two more goals from Ricky Nelson and Marcus Fritel to make it a 3-1 contest. Midway through the 2nd period, David Loahr scored for Minnesota to make it a 4-1 final. In goal for Minnesota, Hamton Slukynsky stopped 11 of 12 shots, while Damian VanDanacker stopped all 13 shots that came his way. For T1EHL West, Nikolas Charles stoppled 12 of 15 shots and Isaac Mekia-Troop stopped 13 of 14 shots.
T1EHL East 5 vs. NAHL Combine 0 - T1EHL East moved to 2-0 at the event with a 5-0 shutout win over NAHL Combine. Five different players lit the lamp for T1EHL East, which included a goal in the 1st period from Jeremy McDonald. T1EHL East scored three more times in the 2nd period as Connor McNaughton, Jack Kraemer, and Foster Nichol all found the back of the net. Late in the 3rd period, a goal from Danny Bagnole completed the scoring. In goal for T1EHL East, Ryan Lehet posted a 21-save shutout, while for NAHL Combine, Brandon Appleman stopped 17 of 19 shots and Zane Spaniol stopped 21 of 23 shots.
NA3HL 2 vs. NAPHL 1 (SO) – In one of the more tightly contested games of the event, the NA3HL picked up their first win as they edged out the NAPHL, 2-1 in a shootout. The NA3HL started the scoring early as Connor Thompson lit the lamp just over a minute into the game. Four minutes later, the NAPHL equalized as Bryce Johnson scored to make it a 1-1 game. In the shootout, Caiden Hess scored the lone goal of the four combined shooters to give the NA3Hl the extra point and the win. For the NA3HL in goal, Jack Orchard stopped all 17 shots that came hjs way, while Quntin Sigurdson stopped eight of nine shots. For the NAPHL, Ben Daguanno stopped 15 of 16 shots in the loss.
NAHL Combine 6 vs. T1EHL West 5 – Andrew Knapp scored twice to lead the Combine team to their first win of the event thanks to a 6-5 win over T1EHL West. Team Combine led 2-1 after one period as Knapp and Tye Battipaglia scored for the Combine team, while James Vermeersch had the goal for T1EHL West. In the 2nd period, T1EHL West took a 3-2 lead on goals from James Berg and Jack O’Rourke. Combine then stormed back with three straight goals to take a 5-3 lead as Colton Clapham, Logan Ganz, and Knapp all scored. In the 3rd period, T1EHL West stayed close with goals from Conrad Moline and Mason Rudrud, but a goal from Nicholas Castracane for the Combine team secured the 6-5 win. Zane Spaniol stopped 17 of 19 and Branson Appelman stopped 18 of 21 for the Combine team, while Isaac Mejia-Troop stopped 13 of 15 and Nikolas Charles stopped 14 of 17 for the T1EHL West.
Minnesota 3 vs. NAPHL 1 – The Minnesota goalie tandem of Damian Van Danacker and Hampton Slukynsky stopped 27 of 28 shots to lead Minnesota to a 3-1 win over the NAPHL and secured a spot in the Championship game. Minnesota wasted no time in taking the lead as Ricky Nelson scored just :19 seconds into the game. The NAPHL would tie the game at 1-1 just over a minute later as Brendan Johnson scored. Minnesota would regain their one-goal edge later in the period as Tyler Jordan scored. Minnesota secured the 3-1 win thanks to a 2nd period goal from David Loahr, which completed the scoring. Brady Govero made 20 saves in the loss for the NAPHL.
T1EHL East 4 vs. NA3HL 2 – Ryan Williams scored two goals to lead T1EHL East to a 4-2 win and perfect 3-0 record in the round-robin and spot in the Championship Game. The NA3HL led 1-0 after one period thanks to a goal from Layten Liffrig. T1EHL East then scored three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead as Williams scored back-to-back goals and Connor Frazer also found the back of the net. The NA3HL pulled to within one as Joe Greniuk scored. However, an empty-net goal from Jack Kraemer secured the win for T1EHL East. Carson Dorfman made 26 saves in the win for T1EHL East, while Jack Orchard and Quentin Sigurdson combined for 29 saves in the loss.
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is pleased to announce that will host the 2022 18U Top Prospects Tournament and 2022 NAHL Prospects Challenge, bringing together some of the top hockey talent from multiple hockey organizations, which will both be held in cooperation with the 2022 NAHL Robertson Cup Championship.
All games can be watched live on HockeyTV
The NAHL 18U Top Prospects Tournament consists of six different teams made up of 18U players, including those from the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL), the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), the Tier 1 Elite League (T1EHL), the NAHL Combines, and Minnesota High School Hockey.
The 18U Top Prospects Tournament will take place from May 20-22, at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota. Each team will consist of a 20-man roster (12 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 goalies). 120 total players will be spread amongst the six teams, who will play in four games each during the event, which will include three round-robin games, followed by consolation and championship games.
Click here for an 18U Top Prospects Schedule
The NAHL Prospects Challenge is an extension of the NAPHL Fall League, in which 18U and 16U teams, will be put together and represented by NAHL teams. The NAHL Prospects Challenge was strategically designed to take place during the NAHL's Robertson Cup National Championship with all games in the area, which will allow more NAHL teams to participate and attract prospects from a greater geographical area.
The event is designed to maximize exposure for the players and bring together teams for likeminded and enhanced competition. Each NAHL member club will be eligible to enter one 18U team and one 16U team in the event. Teams will play a three-game round robin with top teams advancing and remaining teams playing a consolation game on Sunday. Games will take place at the Super Rink in Blaine and the TCO Sports Garden in Vadnais Heights from May 21-23.
Click here for an 18U Prospects Challenge Schedule
Click here for a 16U Prospects Challenge Schedule
