Rebels head coach Joe Coombs was chosen today to be the head coach for the East Division in the upcoming North American Hockey League’s Top Prospect Tournament which will be held at the end of this month. Johnstown Tomahawk’s head coach Mike Letizia will serve as Coombs’ assistant.
The number of players each NAHL team can to send to the tournament, in which four teams from the four NAHL divisions: Central, East, Midwest and South and a special fifth NAHL Selects team, will each play in two game games, is based on each team’s winning percentage within their group as of February 5, 2017.
For the East Division, the Rebels (.788) will send five players, the Johnstown Tomahawks (.763) will send four, the New Jersey Titans (.619) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (.523) will each send three and the Northeast Generals (.083) will send two. The other players that will join the East team will include two players from the 7th place team in the South, the Topeka RoadRunners (.364), in addition to one more at-large selection, which will finalize the 20 spots. The teams will be announced shortly.
The tournament continues to provide the hundreds of NHL and NCAA scouts in attendance with an opportunity to look at the best uncommitted players the NAHL has to offer, as well as, some potential NHL Draft picks. The addition of the NTDP takes the competition and exposure to the next level and provides all of the participating players with a great opportunity to showcase their skills.
The Top Prospects Tournament will be held from February 27 – 28, 2017 at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, MI.
2017 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament Schedule (subject to change, all times eastern)
Monday, February 27th
1:00pm: Central Division vs. Midwest Division
4:00pm: East Division vs. NAHL Selects
7:00pm: South Division vs. USNTDP
Tuesday, February 28th
11:00am: Midwest Division vs. East Division
2:00pm: Central Division vs. South Division
5:00pm: NAHL Selects vs. USNTDP
