NAHL Weekend Preview

January 5, 2024

The first full weekend of games of 2024 takes place with 32 NAHL games on the schedule from Friday-Sunday.

While Minot and Lone Star have opened big leads in the Central and South Divisions respectively, the race is tight atop of the East and Midwest Divisions as Maine and Janesville have taken over the top spots in those divisions with a big run on wins in December.

This weekend is also important because after the games on Sunday, January 7th, the standings freeze to determine the number of spots and coaches for the 2024 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament.

The 2024 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held on February 5-6, 2024, at the UPMC Lemieux Center in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. The NAHL will field six teams for the event, one for each division, and two NAHL Selects teams.

It was another good week for NCAA commitments as seven more players made NCAA Division I commitments as the current season total is now up to 166 committed players.

In the Central Division this weekend, the St. Cloud Norsemen will try and slow down the red-hot Minot Minotauros who take to the road riding a seven-game winning streak. In Mason City, the North Iowa Bulls are looking to snap a nine-game slide as they host the Aberdeen Wings. The final series has the Bismarck Bobcats in Austin to take on the Bruins, with the two clubs separated by two points in the standings.

In the East Division, all eyes are in Maryland as the 2nd place Black Bears host the 1st place Maine Nordiques for a pair of games. New Jersey takes to the road to face Johnstown with the two teams in the playoff hunt, separated by a single point. New Hampshire takes to the road to face Rochester as the Mountain Kings are looking to snap their six-game losing streak. The final series features the Philadelphia Rebels on the road to face the 3rd place Northeast Generals.

In the Midwest Division, the 1st place Janesville Jets look to stay hot as they put their five-game winning streak on the line as they host Chippewa on Friday, after beating Kenai River 9-3 on Thursday night. Kenai River has two more tough games as they travel North to face the Wisconsin Windigo. A big series takes place in Cloquet with the 2nd place Minnesota Wilderness hosting the surging Anchorage Wolverines, who are in 4th place. The Fairbanks Ice Dogs are in Springfield to take on the Jr. Blues for a three-game series.

In the South Division, the red-hot Shreveport Mudbugs look to keep closing the gap on 1st place as they put their seven-game winning streak on the line as they host the Corpus Christi IceRays. The 1st place Lone Star Brahmas face a tough task as they are in Oklahoma to take on the Warriors, who have lost six straight games. The 3rd place El Paso Rhinos head North to take on their rivals, the New Mexico Ice Wolves in a three-game series. The final series features the Amarillo Wranglers heading West to take on the Colorado Grit for three games, who are looking to snap a six-game slide.

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Friday, January 5

Maine Nordiques @ Maryland Black Bears, 07:30 PM EST

New Jersey Titans @ Johnstown Tomahawks, 07:30 PM EST

Minot Minotauros @ St. Cloud Norsemen, 07:00 PM CST

Kenai River Brown Bears @ Wisconsin Windigo, 07:00 PM CST

New Hampshire Mountain Kings @ Rochester Jr Americans, 08:00 PM EST

Philadelphia Rebels @ Northeast Generals, 08:00 PM EST

Bismarck Bobcats @ Austin Bruins, 07:05 PM CST

Fairbanks Ice Dogs @ Springfield Jr. Blues, 07:05 PM CST