Kalamazoo Sending Seven to Top Prospects Tournament

Published on January 23, 2013 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings News Release


Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings, proud members of the North American Hockey League's North Division, announce that six skaters and head coach, Marc Fakler, have been selected by the league to represent the Jr. K-Wings on Team Midwest, and the 18U Selects "Young Guns" squads at the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Troy, Michigan. Fakler, who led the Jr. K-Wings to the North Division Finals last season, and currently has Kalamazoo standing in third place in the North (52 points, trailing Soo and Jamestown who have 55), will run the bench alongside Topeka Roadrunners head coach, Scott Langer.

Forwards Taylor Burden, Kyle Gattelaro, and Luc Boby will join Defenseman Brendan Vetter, as they will skate for Team Midwest. Trevor Boyd and Brett Beauvais will lace up their skates for the 18U Selects Team.

Burden, a four-year veteran of the NAHL is having a career year, having posted a career high 14 goals through 40 contests. He is just five assists and two points shy of career highs in both categories, both of which were set over 58 games last season. Burden is in a tie for second on the Jr. K-Wings in points with 30 (14 goals, 16 assists).

Gattelaro has been a solid asset to the Jr. K-Wings' success again this season, as he has registered 28 points through 40 games. He is only one assist shy of his career record of 23, which he set last year.

Boby is another Jr. K-Wing who continues to re-write his own personal record book, as the second year NAHLer has registered nearly twice as many points in 39 games this season as he did all of last with St. Louis (53 games). Boby has 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points, good enough for a tie for second on the roster (Burden).

Vetter came over from Wenatchee early in the season after spending his first NAHL season with the Wild. Through 22 games with Kalamazoo, he has registered 10 points on three goals (career high) and seven assists.

Boyd represents the "Young Guns" team in his second season for the Jr. K-Wings. The recently turned eighteen year old forward has posted seven goals and a career high five assists through 35 games on the season, and has also shown great toughness through two seasons with the Jr. K-Wings

Beauvais is playing in his second NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, as he represented the 18U Selects team last season as well. Through 38 games on the season, Beauvais has nearly matched his numbers from his rookie campaign. Beauvais has scored three goals, recorded a career-high 20 assists, totaling a personal best mark of 23 points. Beauvais has already made a commitment to a D-I school (Bemidji State), but his presence on the NHL Central Scouting radar has him playing in the tournament for the second straight season.

The three game tournament takes place from February 18-22, providing a chance to gain exposure from over 150 college and professional scouts from all over the world.

Last season, the Jr. K-Wings representatives played with fellow players from around the North Division. After this season's realignment, the Jr. K-Wing representatives will play for Team Midwest, along with players from Janesville, Coulee Region, Springfield, and Topeka. The other regions represented at the tournament are Dakota, Frontier, Great Lakes, and Texas.

The Jr. K-Wings will return to the Borgess Health Rink at Wings West again on Wednesday, January 23rd against the Port Huron Fighting Falcons at McMorran Arena in Port Huron.

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 23, 2013


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