NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX — As the top team in the NAHL South Division, the Lone Star Brahmas are sending five players — four forwards and one defenseman — to Team South and two players to the NAHL Selects.
Austin Kamer is one of the four forwards (Carson Kelley, Hunter Stanley, and Troy York are the others) who will be playing for Team South come next Monday and Tuesday under Brahmas Head Coach Dan Wildfong.
Kamer has spent the entirety of the season playing with linemates Drake Glover and Peter Kessel. The three forwards were placed on a line in the preseason, and Wildfong liked what he saw enough to keep them together through thick and thin.
That decision has paid off in dividends, as that line has accounted for about a quarter of the Brahmas’ total points and over a third of all Brahmas goals.
Kamer (14-25–39) has been one of Lone Star’s most reliable forwards on the team’s march to first place in the NAHL South.
“He’s been one of our most steady players all year long,” Wildfong said. “He is for sure a Division I guy. Austin’s just a really good hockey player. He could play in college and be on your fourth line or your second line and you wouldn’t see a difference at all.”
Kamer, whose defensive play is just as impressive as his offensive play, sees plenty of time both on the power play and the penalty kill, and is one of the Brahmas’ best 200-foot players.
If there was any complaint to be made about the forward, it may have been that he was too unselfish, prone to passing rather than taking a shot himself.
Recently, though, Kamer has been showing that he’s not just a playmaker — he’s a goal-scorer too. Through the Brahmas 14-game win streak spanning December, January, and February, Kamer led the team in goals (9) and points (15).
“He’s a good 200-foot player and now he’s obviously understanding that he needs to shoot the puck and when you shoot you end up scoring. He’s got a great release, I think he was just looking to pass too much and at the end of the day he has been one of our most steady players all year long,” Wildfong said.
The tournament is the perfect stage for Kamer to show how complete of a player he is. “I know this is a big time for a lot of guys, so I’m really excited to go and really happy that I was one of the guys selected,” Kamer said.
The Michigan native is also looking forward to playing back in his home state. “Any time you get to play in front of friends and family is special,” he said, “[and] I think we definitely have a pretty good team. Our division is really strong, so I think we can go against the best of them.”
Kamer, Wildfong, and the rest of Team South will be playing February 27 and 28. You can catch all Top Prospect Tournament games on Hockey TV and follow along with the Brahmas on social media.