NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX – The Lone Star Brahmas are excited to announce that three skaters will be attending the 2022 North American Hockey League Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held from February 7-8, 2022, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. The Brahmas representatives on the NAHL South team are Jack Collins and Frankie Ireland, while Arthur Smith will suit up for the NAHL Selects team.
Only those NAHL players without an NCAA commitment are eligible to participate in the 2022 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, except for those who have been identified by NHL Central Scouting as prospects for the 2022 NHL Draft. The tournament will feature NAHL players from all four divisions, as well as the United States National Development Team Program (NTDP) 17-Team.
Jack Collins, a three-season veteran of the Brahmas, established himself this season as a leader on and off the ice. Recently going on a seven-game point streak, the 6’3 forward records 19 points (10g-9a) in 34 games played during the 2021-22 season. One of three assistant captains on the Brahmas, Collins has already surpassed his previous seasons’ point totals with nearly half the regular season still remaining.
The Brahmas top rookie skater, Frankie Ireland has made a splash in his first season at the Shoebox. The forward tallied 23 points (11g-12a) in 35 games played, putting him in third place on the Brahmas top scoring list with 0.66 points per game. The Easton, Mass. native is currently on a three-game point streak, tying his career-high with the Brahmas.
Arthur Smith is currently the top rookie goalie across the entire NAHL, recording a 2.06 GAA. The Farmington, Conn., 17-year-old posts a 15-9-1-2 record, 0.907% save percentage and only 28 goals allowed. Smith was recently named the South Division Star of the Week for January 17-23, 2022, after his shutout and 47-save, two-game winning performance against the Amarillo Wranglers.
The NAHL South team will play the NAHL East team at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 7, and compete against the NAHL Central team at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 8. The NAHL Selects team will play at 12:30 p.m. on Monday against the NTDP and at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday against the NAHL Midwest team. All games are in CST and are able to be viewed on HockeyTV.
The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament is one of the most highly scouted events in junior hockey. Hundreds of scouts attend the event annually, which features almost every NHL team and NCAA Division I school. It continues to be an important part of the NAHL event model, which includes the NAHL Showcase in September and the NAHL Robertson Cup National Championship in May.
To read the NAHL full release, click here: http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=33606