PHL releases 2012-13 game, event and Showcase schedules

The North American Prospects Hockey League (PHL) has announced the complete schedule for the 2012-13 season, including the first event of the season at the 10th annual Combat Hockey/NAHL Showcase, which will be held from September 12-16 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.

The PHL, which will be celebrating its fourth season in 2012-13, is composed of 18 Midget Major (18U) and 18 Midget Minor (16U) teams from across North America that compete at the USA Hockey Tier I level.  The PHL continues to establish itself as the premiere training ground for development and is designed to maximize the exposure of all the participants through the NAHL's high-profile recruiting events which attract hundreds of junior, college and professional scouts.

“We are excited to be entering our fourth season and feel like each year the competition among teams and advancement of the players has increased,” said Denny Scanlon, President and Director of the PHL.  “We feel like we have a nice geographical mix of event locations, which will allow plenty of opportunities for scouts to evaluate the players in the PHL.”

View complete 2012-13 PHL 18U schedule here

View complete 2012-13 PHL 16U schedule here

Each PHL team will play 22 regular season games during the 2012-13 season, and for the first time in the league’s four-year history, the teams will be divided into divisions.  Each team will play one another once totaling 17 games, and then an additional game against each divisional opponent totaling five games.  A minimum of four playoff games will be played in addition at the season-ending PHL Championship Series in February.  Each PHL organization will field both an 18U and 16U with the exception of the Utah Regulators, who will field just an 18U team and the Wenatchee Wild, who will field just a 16U team.  The divisions will be called the Red, White and Blue Divisions and will be as follows:

18U
Red Division: California Titans, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks, Detroit Falcons, Indiana Jr. Ice, Phoenix Firebirds, Texas Tornado
White Division: Anaheim Jr. Ducks, Lansing Capitals, Omaha AAA Lancers, Pikes Peak Miners, St. Louis Selects, Utah Regulators
Blue Division: Atlanta Fire, New Jersey Jr. Titans, Pittsburgh Viper Stars, Pursuit of Excellence, San Jose Jr. Sharks, West Michigan Hounds

16U
Red Division: California Titans, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks, Detroit Falcons, Indiana Jr. Ice, Phoenix Firebirds, Texas Tornado
White Division: Anaheim Jr. Ducks, Lansing Capitals, Omaha AAA Lancers, Pikes Peak Miners, St. Louis Selects, Wenatchee Wild
Blue Division: Atlanta Fire, New Jersey Jr. Titans, Pittsburgh Viper Stars, Pursuit of Excellence, San Jose Jr. Sharks, West Michigan Hounds

The PHL is comprised of six regular-season events leading up to its Championship Tournament Series in which the top teams at each level compete for a league championship. The top two teams in each division from the regular season will qualify for championship playoff bracket.  Additionally, two wildcard teams will also qualify for championship bracket.  All other teams (10 teams) will then play in a consolation bracket.  The PHL season concludes with its Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held in conjunction with the NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Tournament in May 2013.