St. Louis 18U forward Lupo signs NAHL tender
December 4, 2013
The St. Louis Selects of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) are pleased to announce that 18U forward Joey Lupo, 18, has signed an NAHL tender with the Springfield Jr. Blues. The Jr. Blues currently compete in the NAHL’s North Division.
Lupo, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is a true example of a player who has grown and developed in the NAPHL and transitioned that into a potential opportunity to play at the next level.
To start the 2013-14 season, Lupo was a part of Muskegon’s 30-man roster in the USHL. He also made Springfield’s all-star game at their main camp earlier in the summer. Lupo is an honors student finishing his senior year in St Louis, at Christian Brothers College High school (CBC) and is captain of both the 18U St. Louis Selects of the NAPHL and the CBC Cadets hockey team. The CBC Cadets have won 12 Missouri State Championships.
This is Lupo’s fourth year of playing in the NAPHL. He began his time in the league with the St. Louis Selects 16U team during the 2010-11 season. During the 2011-12 season Lupo averaged a point per game for the 16U team. Last year, Lupo (5’9/170) had a breakout season in his first full year at the 18U level, scoring 25 points in 20 games during the regular season.
For his NAPHL career, Lupo has played in 74 career NAPHL regular season games recording 61 career points (24 goals, 37 assists). He also has 10 points in 13 career NAPHL playoff games.
Lupo is the first player from this year’s St. Louis Selects 18U team to sign an NAHL tender. He is currently tied for the team lead in scoring this season with nine points in nine games played.
A tender is a contract, of sorts, a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team. Each team is granted ten (10) tenders, which include two (2) tenders exclusively used on players from the NAPHL - plus or minus any trades - which become active on Nov. 1. Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft, which will be held on June 3, 2014.
