PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The NA3HL’s annual Top Prospects Tournament is a chance for the top players in the league to get some extra exposure for NAHL and college scouts, and for those players to get some extra reps heading into the postseason. Thanks to the Bulls’ regular spot at the top of the standings, there are usually plenty of spots allotted for North Iowa players.
The same is true this year, as seven players earn the call to the Top Prospects Tournament later this month, according to an announcement from the league earlier this week. Six teams will play three games each in the tournament, with the teams sorted by division. The Gold team will feature players from the Central and Coastal Divisions, and will include North Iowa goaltender Brady Meyers (Rochester, Minn./Austin Bruins), as well as defenseman Mike Lyons (Wheaton, Ill./North Iowa Bulls), and forwards Mitch Dolter (Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary’s) and Josh Arnold (Roseville, Minn./Bismarck Bobcats). North Iowa head coach Todd Sanden will lead the team along with Long Beach Sharks bench boss Mike Stanaway.
Three others were named to the NA3HL Select Red squad, which will be coached by Alexandria’s Jeff Crouse. All three are forwards on the Bulls roster: Brendan Studioso (Mukilteo, Wash./Dallas Stars Elite), Sean Mallonee (Kennewick, Wash./North Iowa Bulls) and Connor Clemons (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.). Crouse himself has ties to Mason City, playing one year in the USHL with the North Iowa Huskies and serving as a coach for the North Iowa Outlaws from 2007 to ’09.
The NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament will take place Feb. 27-28, in conjunction with the North American Hockey League’s Top Prospects Tournament. All games in the tourney will be streamed on HockeyTV and will be played at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. The arena is also the home of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, and was the home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers prior to their move to Flint, Mich. in 2015. For more information on the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament, click here.