The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced the location and date for the 2022 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, which will be held from February 7-8, 2022 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex is the practice home to the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament is one of the most highly scouted events of its kind, featuring almost every NHL team and NCAA Division I school. it continues to provide the hundreds of NHL and NCAA scouts in attendance with a look at the best uncommitted players the NAHL has to offer, as well as some potential NHL Draft picks. It is an important part of the NAHL event model, which is inclusive of the NAHL Showcase in September and the NAHL Robertson Cup National Championship in May.
“We are excited about the new location for the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex is a world-class facility, and we look forward to showcasing some of the best uncommitted players and NHL prospects that the NAHL has to offer,” said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. “The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament is the most unique event we host because its sole purpose is to provide those players that are still uncommitted a great opportunity to play in front of hundreds of NCAA and NHL scouts for a chance to make a great impression and earn an NCAA commitment or get drafted into the NHL. Scouts now have an established roadmap to track a player’s development, which includes assessments throughout the season and then making a determination based on his progression.”
“We are excited to welcome the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in February,” said Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse. “We look forward to hosting this group of talented players, as well as the hundreds of scouts that will be in attendance at our facility.”
The NAHL, which is USA Hockey’s only Tier II junior hockey league, enters the event riding an all-time high for player commitment and advancement. For the eighth year in a row, the NAHL set a new NCAA commitment record, this time finishing with 395 total NCAA commitments during the 2020-21 season, which included a record total of 293 NCAA Division I commitments. In addition, 32% of freshmen that played NCAA Division I hockey this past season were alumni of the NAHL. It once again re-emphasizes that no other junior league in the world saw as many NCAA commitments for their players, while they were actually playing in the league.
The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex is the primary practice and training facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins as well as a comprehensive outpatient facility for UPMC Sports Medicine. This first-of-its-kind facility in the Pittsburgh region is a true partnership between two world-class organizations, and features 185,000 square feet of total space dedicated to treating, training and inspiring athletes at every level. This multi-use facility is a destination for athletes of all ages and skill levels seeking sports medicine, performance, and rehabilitation expertise as well as hockey-specific skills and performance training. UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex has hosted prominent events such as the NHL’s Kraft Hockeyville Game, USHL’s Fall Classic, NWHL regular-season games and All-Star weekend, as well as USA Hockey National Championships and tournaments.