Schedule announced for October T1ER event in Blaine
The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) T1ER League is pleased to announce the schedule for the second event of the 2023-24 T1ER season, which will take place from October 13-16 at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.
All games at the October Showcase can be watched exclusively on NATV.
Tenders: One of the major benefits of the T1ER League is the fact that all 32 NAHL teams have two tenders that are exclusively used on T1ER players. Each NAHL team is granted 10 tenders, plus or minus any trades, which become active on November 1. However, the two exclusive T1ER tenders have already been released and NAHL teams are eligible to start signing players for the 2024-25 season.
The October weekend marks the second event for the T1ER League and traditionally is the Pre-Tender Distribution Showcase. It represents a prime opportunity for T1ER players to showcase their abilities as this event is strategically timed during release of tenders to NAHL clubs.
What is a tender? A tender is a contract, of sorts, a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team.
Seminars: In an effort to provide more opportunity to T1ER teams in Blaine during the Showcase, the North American Hockey League and the office of the Director of Player Personnel is offering an education seminar to NAPHL T1ER teams. Craig Barnett will be discussing “The Path” to NCAA Hockey. The seminar will include climbing USA Hockey Develop Ladder, the levels of USA Hockey Juniors, and NCAA opportunities within NCAA Division I, III, and ACHA hockey along with NCAA compliance.
The 45-minute presentations will be held on Saturday, October 14th at 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm at the Grand Hall of the Welcome Center, which is the building located just to the right of the Super Rink.
Craig Barnett is the Director of NCAA Compliance Education for the NAHL and the Executive Director of the ACHA. He brings a wealth of knowledge as a former NCAA Division I Head Coach and Athletic Director.
There will be time at the end of each session for a Q&A. We believe the seminars are extremely valuable and hope that you encourage your players, parents and coaches attend.
Scouting: The T1ER 18U and 16U league games were purposefully mainly scheduled on Sunday and Monday for this event. This was done to avoid conflicts with junior clubs playing their own games in an effort for more NAHL scouts and coaches to see more T1ER prospects. All 32 NAHL teams are required to be in attendace.
As part of the exposure to the NAHL, and our teams, is the partnership with the Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone is the premier scouting service in the hockey industry and adding them to our NAHL Family is a huge win for our participating teams, and organizations. We look forward to having them in attendance at this event to watch games and provide insightful scouting reports to our NAHL teams regarding the participating players.
A record number of 75 players who played in the league during the 2022-23 season signed NAHL tenders for the current 2023-24 season.
In the last three years, no other USA Hockey Midget Tier I league has had more players play in the North American Hockey League than the T1ER.
Founded in 2009 and now in its 15th season in 2023-24, the NAPHL T1ER League is the premier training ground for development, exposure, and opportunity. The success of teams on the national stage, as well as the success of T1ER players at the next levels of hockey, is further proof that the T1ER League is redefining exposure and has become the marquee place to play for elite level players, ages 13-18.
