10th season off to a great start for NAPHL

October 16, 2018

Now in its 10th anniversary season, it is safe to say that the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) is riding an all-time high wave of momentum. That momentum is highlighted by another incredible season of player advancement to the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and beyond.

 

Currently during the 2018-19 season, the NAPHL has more than 80+ alumni playing on NAHL rosters, which equates to an average of over three players per team.

 

Since 2009, the NAPHL has been the premier training ground for development and exposure, and is a great stepping-stone for development and training for young hockey players looking to gain experience and knowledge to work their way up to the National level. 

 

The success of teams on the National stage, as well as, the success of NAPHL players at the next levels of hockey, is further proof that the NAPHL is redefining exposure and has elevated itself as the leader in development and opportunity.

 

The NAPHL has enjoyed a record-breaking amount of advancement in recent seasons, which is highlighted by a large amount of advancement of players to the NAHL. No other USA Hockey Midget Tier I league has had more players play in the NAHL over the course of the last two seasons than the NAPHL. 

 

“We are continuing to see more and more players advance to junior hockey opportunities in the NAHL, which underlines the primary mission of the NAPHL, which is to provide our athletes with an environment and event schedule that will provide them with the maximum amount of exposure possible,” said NAPHL Director Tony Zasowski.  “As someone who has previously coached in both the NAPHL and NAHL, I can tell you that NAPHL players have never been in a better spot for advancement than they are now.”

 

However, the advancement for NAPHL players doesn’t stop with the NAHL. The NAPHL had another incredible year of advancement to the USHL. The NAPHL currently has over two dozen alumni paying in the USHL during the 2018-19 season. Close to 50 NAPHL players have been drafted in the past three years of the USHL Draft.

 

"The fact that the NAPHL in now maintaining a consistent number of draft picks, tenders and alumni in the NAHL and USHL is very encouraging," continued Zasowski. "Both the NAHL and USHL scouts are regulars at all our events and we have some great, young talent that will be future stars in junior hockey. The NAPHL has proven that it has some of the best talent and teams in midget hockey in the United States.”

 

One of the other big reasons that the NAPHL is advancing more and more players on to the NAHL than ever before are the direct benefits associated being directly involved with one another. One of the exclusive benefits is the NAHL Central Scouting program. NAHL Central Scouting is dedicated to finding NAPHL and NA3HL hockey players, evaluating them in a true unbiased manner and then organizing and providing that information to NAHL teams. No other midget league in the United States has a system like it, where its primary mission is the advancement of players.

 

In addition, the exclusive partnerships with equipment partners Bauer and Vaughn, along with daily news and player recognition, live online broadcasts and league-wide events like the NAPHL regular season showcases, the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament, and the Dixon Cup Championship, provide NAPHL players and teams with the maximum amount of exposure that is unparalleled at Tier I midget level.

 

“We see that competition of skill level of NAPHL players get better each season. We are also seeing the evolution, benefits and success behind the NAHL Central Scouting that was established a few years ago,” said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. “We now have an established and proven system that works and the evidence is in the continued rise in the number of players advancing to the next levels of hockey, which includes the NAHL draft and tender system. We continue to see the rise in this advancement thanks to our unique event schedule, balanced competition, event scouting system and quality coaching.”