T1ER League season opens at NAHL Showcase in Blaine
The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) returns to the ice this weekend as a part of the NAHL Showcase with first event of the 2023-24 NAPHL T1ER League, which will take place from September 14-17 at the Super Rink and Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota.
This is the first NAPHL T1ER event of the 2023-24 season, which is the 15th season of the NAPHL.
The T1ER season begins in cooperation with the NAHL Showcase, the Greatest Show on Ice. The NAHL Showcase attracts over 9,000 people in overall attendance, including more than 300+ professional, college and junior scouts. For scouting purposes, the NAHL Showcase is the premier event of its kind and is a yearly gathering for every NCAA program, NHL team, and NAHL team as they get their first look at some of the best and brightest hockey talent North America has to offer.
All games will be broadcast live on NAHLTV
The NAPHL's T1ER League is comprised of teams at the 18U, 16U, 15U, and 14U age groups that compete in a full NAPHL season at highest level for USA Hockey, which includes strategically located and scheduled showcases during the 2023-24 season.
For the 2023-24 season, T1ER teams will compete in a combination of league-wide and regional conference exposure events. The league-wide showcases will continue to bring everyone under one roof to make it easier for the junior and college scouts to attend and evaluate. The regional conference exposure events will cut down on team travel and enhance regional rivalries, all to contain the growing cost of travel and bring more value and excitement to the participants.
Historically, the majority of NAPHL players recruited by NAHL teams come from the T1ER League, which includes 60+ NAPHL tenders per season. The successful advancement of T1ER players is due to the internal mechanisms the NAHL has created exclusively for the members of the NAPHL.
The T1ER League’s primary mission is to provide development and exposure opportunities for players as they advance on the path to one day play high level junior and college hockey. Members of the T1ER League get the opportunity to attend some of the most dynamic and highly scouted events. Select events take place during the same time as NAHL events, which usually feature every NAHL, NCAA Division I, and every NHL team along with dozens of junior scouts under one roof.
The T1ER League has enjoyed a record-breaking amount of advancement in recent seasons due to enjoying the opportunities provided by the Multi-Advancement Path to all levels of junior hockey. In the last five years, no other USA Hockey Midget Tier I league has had more players tendered in the NAHL than the T1ER League. In 2023, a total of 95 NAPHL T1ER players were either drafted or tendered by NAHL teams, which set new single-season record. Over 100+ T1ER alumni are currently rostered in the NAHL. In addition, five former T1ER players were selected in the 2023 NHL Draft.
