Former Viper Soderlund Named To NAHL Top Prospects Tournament:

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced the rosters for last month’s Top Prospects Tournament, sponsored by SBK Hockey, which was held from Feb. 20-22 at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich. Former Vernon Vipers defenceman, Nils-Erik Soderlund was named to Team Central. Soderlund played in Vernon last year (2009-10) before being traded to the MJHL's Winkler Flyers at the BCHL trade deadline. Soderlund started this season with the NAHL's New Mexico Mustangs before being traded to the NAHL's Port Huron Fighting Falcons.

For a look at team rosters (click on link)

http://www.americanjuniorhockey.com/2011/01/nahl-announces-top-prospects-tournament.html

Here is how the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament works.

At the event, four teams - Team Central, Team North, Team South and Team West - will play a three-game round robin. Each team consists of a 20-man roster as chosen by the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament Selection Committee, with minor player crossover amongst the four teams.

All NAHL players were eligible for selection, and the number of players represented by each NAHL team is based on each team’s winning percentage within their division as of Jan. 17.

Bismarck Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie will serve as the head coach for Team Central, with Coulee Region Chill head coach Garrett Strot serving as the assistant coach; Topeka RoadRunners head coach Scott Langer will lead Team South, with Texas Tornado head coach Tony Curtale assisting; Fairbanks Ice Dogs head coach Josh Hauge will be the head coach of Team West, with Alaska Avalanche head coach Brian Huebel assisting; and St. Louis Bandits head coach Jeff Brown will serve as the head coach of Team North, with Janesville Jets head coach Dane Litke serving as the assistant coach.

In conjunction with the Top Prospects Tournament, all North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) teams - Midget Major, Midget Minor and Bantam Major - will compete in the Championship Tournament Series for the right to be crowned league champions. That event will run from Feb. 18-21 at the Troy Sports Center in Troy, Mich., with the three division championship games being played at the Ice Cube.

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) will also have representation at the Top Prospects Tournament, as two NA3HL all-star teams will compete against each other at the event. The NA3HL will also extend invitations to other USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A leagues to participate with all-stars teams.

At the NAHL’s first Top Prospects Tournament of the season, which was held from Dec. 5-7 in Walpole, Mass., four teams comprised of the NAHL’s top committed and un-committed college players, including those recognized on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s Players to Watch list for 2011 draft-eligibles, played a three-game round robin.

This is posted on the NAHL's website:

Team West captures Top Prospects championship

February 22, 2011

Dawson Creek's Dakota Mason led Team West in scoring at the Top Prospects Tournament with five points (goal, four assists).

Team West was crowned champions of the second North American Hockey League (NAHL) Top Prospects Tournament of the season on Tuesday at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich., after finishing the event with a 2-1 record.

Team West won the head-to head tiebreaker over Team Central, which also finished with a 2-1 mark but lost to the West on the first day of the tournament, 6-2.