South Division to take to the ice in 2013-14, while West Division slated for 2014-15
FRISCO, TEXAS – The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced that it has been granted approval by USA Hockey to add teams that will make up two new divisions in the league.
The NA3HL will add four teams in a South Division, which will begin play this upcoming 2013-14 season, and four additional teams in a West Division, which will begin play in the 2014-15 season. The 22-team league will be divided into four divisions (Central, East, South and West) for the 2013-14 season.
“We are very excited to be expanding the NA3HL into markets in the southern and western areas of the United States and these additional teams of the NA3HL family are backed by solid and committed ownership groups,” said NA3HL President Mark Frankenfeld. “These areas are some of the fastest growing in the country for youth hockey and these NA3HL clubs allow us to be an extension of some of these youth programs. This allows us to strengthen and enhance the relationships with both the Texas Amateur Hockey Association (TAHA) and the Midwest Amateur Hockey Association (MWAHA).”
The South Division will be composed of two teams in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area, one in Houston, Texas and another in Topeka, Kansas. Team names and details will be announced shortly. The South Division will compete in a 48-game schedule and will take part of the NA3HL Showcase which will be held November 22-25 in Romeoville, Illinois. The winner of the South Division playoffs will join the winners of the three other divisions in the NA3HL for the 2014 Silver Cup Championship Tournament, which will be held March 28-31 in Chicago, Illinois.
The West Division, which will take to the ice in 2014-15, is currently composed of four teams. Two in in the Southern California area, one in San Jose, California and another in Phoenix, Arizona.
The NA3HL will be entering its fourth season in 2013-14 and serves as one of the top training grounds in the country by providing the best coaching, exposure and developmental vehicles available for student-athletes in its classification. In 2013, the NA3HL’s North Iowa Bulls solidified this by winning the USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Championship. In addition to the dozens of players who moved up to play in the NAHL during the 2012-13 season, 30 NA3HL players were either tendered or drafted to NAHL teams throughout the 2012-13 season.
2013-14 NA3HL Event Schedule:
NA3HL Showcase: Canlan Ice Sports, Romeoville, IL – November 22-25, 2013
NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament: Troy Sports Center, Troy, MI – February 16-18, 2014
NA3HL Silver Cup Championship: Fox Valley Ice Arena, Geneva, IL – March 28-31, 2014
About the NA3HL
Now entering its fourth season, the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), one of six USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior leagues, serves as one of the top training grounds in the country by providing the best coaching, exposure and developmental vehicles available for student-athletes in its classification. The primary mission of the NA3HL, which is managed organizationally by the North American Hockey League (NAHL), is to provide a structured developmental environment for student-athletes whose youth options are limited but are still reaching their potential and have aspirations of playing in the NAHL or United States Hockey League and eventually the NCAA or American College Hockey Association. For more information, visit www.na3hl.com.
