Mason City, IA – A quartet of North Iowa Bulls players have been selected to represent the team at the 2026 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament. Defenseman & Captain Grant Harder, Forward & Assistant Captain Christian Plaga, Forward Wakeley Holzer, and Goaltender Cole Murphy will take the ice in Marlborough, Massachusetts in late November as the Bulls’ Top Prospects.
Bulls Captain Grant Harder is in the midst of a record setting start to his season. In eleven games, the McCook Lake, SD, native has a stat line of 6 goals, 15 assists, and 21 points. The blue liner is tied for the team’s overall scoring lead and has set franchise records for career goal scoring by a defenseman & power play goal scoring by a defenseman. His scoring output has him 5th among all NA3HL defensemen while his points per game performance (1.91) has him second among all NA3HL defensemen and top 20 among all NA3HL skaters. Grant’s 6 power play goals lead the NA3HL while his 9 power play assists are second among all NA3HL skaters.
Assistant Captain Christian Plaga is enjoying a strong start to his second NA3HL season in Mason City. The Manhattan Beach, CA, native leads the Bulls in goal scoring with 9 and adds 7 assists for 12 points. He’s scored in 9 of the Bulls’ 11 games, with goals in 7 of them. He was voted the NA3HL’s Star of the Week for the West Division for the Bulls’ two game series around Halloween.
Forward Wakeley Holzer has made a big scoring splash so far this season. The Omaha, NE, native leads all Bulls skaters with 17 assists and adds 4 goals for 21 points. He’s scored in 6 of the Bulls 7 games and in the Bulls’ last win against Willmar, recorded a season high 3 assists. His 12 power play assists are for the most in the NA3HL, three more than second place and four more than the most of any non-Bulls skater. His power play efforts have lifted the Bulls to the 3rd best team power play percentage at 31.75%.
Goaltender Cole Murphy has been rock solid in the pipes. In four games, Murphy has the 15th best goals against average in the league (2.28) and the 5th best save percentage (.940) in the NA3HL. He pitched a 33 save shutout in his second game of the season against the Minnesota Wilderness. His season high is 38 saves against the Granite City Lumberjacks.
This tournament is open to players with 2006 & 2007 birth years. NA3HL player with birth years between 2008 and 2010 are eligible for the 2027 Top Prospects Tournament to be held in Plymouth, MI, on February 22nd & 23rd.
The Bulls’ quartet will take the ice for two games on a team comprised of players from the West Division. On Sunday, November 22nd, the West Division Top Prospects match up against the East Division’s representatives at 7:45 PM ET, 6:45 PM CT. On Monday, November 23rd, the West duels the Central Division at 10:45 AM ET, 9:45 AM CT.
All games will be aired on NAHLTV. North Iowa Bulls Play-by-Play Voice Chris Lynch will provide the play-by-play coverage for all games during the 2026 Top Prospects Tournament.