Three Rangers on Top Prospects Tournament roster

January 22, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Marquette Rangers News Release


Frisco, Texas - The North American Hockey League announced Monday the 20-man rosters for its first annual Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held February 17-19 at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Three Marquette Rangers are on the North Division squad, including forward Aaron Pietila (Brighton, MI) and defensemen Nick Condon (Wausau, WI) and Derek Grogan (Eagan, MN.) Pietila is the teams leading scorer with 40 points (16g, 24a) while Condon (3rd) and Grogan (7th) are two of the NAHL's top scoring defensemen.

The event will feature all-star teams from the NAHL's Central, North and South Divisions, as well as a team from the U.S. National Team Development Program, competing in a three-game, round-robin tournament.

In the two, six-team divisions - the Central and South - five players were selected from the first-place teams as of January 1 (North Iowa/Wichita Falls); four from the second-place teams (Southern Minnesota/Fairbanks); three from the third- and fourth-place teams (Springfield/Fargo-Moorhead/Topeka/Alaska); and two from the fifth- and sixth-place teams (Alexandria/Bismarck/Kenai River/Texas). Coaches also selected one wildcard player from each of the two divisions (North Iowa/Wichita Falls).

In the five-team North Division (excluding the NTDP), five players were chosen from the first-place team as of January 1 (St. Louis); four from the second-place team (Mahoning Valley); and three from the third-, fourth- and fifth-place teams (Alpena/Marquette/Traverse City). Coaches also selected two wildcard players from the division (St. Louis/Mahoning Valley).

"Our Top Prospects Tournament Selection Committee did an outstanding job evaluating and selecting the best our league has to offer to compete in this prestigious event," said NAHL commissioner Mark Frankenfeld. "College and professional scouts will be impressed with the level of talent assembled and the competitiveness."

The NTDP team will be comprised of players from both the Under-17 and Under-18 Teams.

For more details on the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, visit nahltopprospects.com.



North American Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2008


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