Top Prospects Tournament gets underway today

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) Top Prospects Tournament, sponsored by SBK Hockey and McArthur Towel & Sports, gets underway today (Sunday) at the Iorio Ice Arena in Walpole, Mass.

The two games are scheduled for 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. local time.

At the event, which will run from Dec. 5-7 and crown a tournament champion, four teams comprised of the NAHL’s top committed and un-committed college players, including those recognized on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s “Players to Watch” list for 2011 draft-eligibles, will play a three-game round robin.

All Top Prospects Tournament games can be viewed live via the Internet through FASTHockey.com.

View the complete schedule here.

The teams are named Team Miller (after Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, who played in the NAHL as a member of the Soo Indians); Team Rafalski (after Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski, formerly of the NAHL’s Melvindale Blades); Team Legwand (after Nashville Predators forward David Legwand, who skated with the NAHL’s Compuware Ambassadors); and Team Weight (after New York Islanders forward Doug Weight, who developed in the NAHL as a member of the Bloomfield Jets) to recognize four of the NAHL’s more prominent alumni.

NAHL Top Prospects Tournament Rosters

Team Legwand Roster

Team Miller Roster

Team Rafalski Roster

Team Weight Roster

The NAHL is also auctioning off all game-worn player jerseys from the Top Prospects Tournament through eBay.?Bids can be placed at NAHL.com/Auction.

In conjunction with the Top Prospects Tournament, the third North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) event of the season is being held from Dec. 3-6 at both the Iorio Ice Arena and Foxboro Sports Center in Foxboro, Mass. All Midget Major and Midget Minor teams are participating at the showcase. All NAPHL games can be viewed live via the Internet through FASTHockey.com.

For more information on the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, visit NAHLTopProspects.com.

About the NAHL...
Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2010-11, the NAHL, the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior A league boasting 27 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. For more information on the NAHL, visit NAHL.com.

About the NAPHL...
In its second season, the NAPHL is made up of 38 Midget Major (18), Midget Minor (14) and Bantam Major (6) teams from 19 programs that compete at the Tier I AAA level. The NAPHL is comprised of five regular-season events leading up to its Championship Tournament Series in which the top teams at each level compete for a league championship. The NAPHL season concludes with its Top Prospects Tournament, which is held in conjunction with the NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Tournament. For more information on the NAPHL, visit NAPHL.com.