Pittsburgh, PA - The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has assembled an 18U T1ER Top Prospects All-Star team that will take part in the 2023 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament, Feb. 6-7, 2023, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, PA.

And  Esmark's U18 AAA squad will be represented on the team as the Stars had four players and two coaches named to the squad.

Goaltender, Nikita Volski; defenseman, Ian Norkevicus; and forwards Brody Simko and Wes Schwarzmiller); as well as the U18 Star's coaching staff, Dave Kosick and Yuri Krivokhija, all earned nods and will be participating in the event.

Volski has a 8-2-0-0 record in 10 NAPHL U18 appearances to date this season, with a 1.70 GAA and a save percentage of .925. Overall, Volski has a 25-5-1-1 record in 32 appearances, with a 1.80 GAA and a save percentage of .928 this season.

Norkevicus, who has signed a NAHL tender with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for the 2023-24 season, leads all defenseman in NAPHL scoring this year, putting up 19 points (1G, 18A) in 16 NAPHL games played to date. Overall, Norkevicus has posted 60 points (10G, 50A) in 56 games played, including 5 power play goals, for the Midget Major Stars.

Simko, who has signed a NAHL tender with the Maryland Black Bears for the 2023-24 season, leads all forwards in NAPHL scoring this year, putting up 27 points (18G, 9A) in 16 NAPHL games played to date, including 4 power play goals, 1 shorthanded goal and two game winning goals. Overall, Simko has posted 86 points (43G, 43A) in 56 games played, including 9 power play goals and 2 shorthanded goals, for the Stars 18U squad.

And Schwarzmiller, who has signed a NAHL tender with the Minnesota Wilderness for the 2023-24 season, is second in league scoring for all forwards in NAPHL this year, putting up 26 points (9G, 17A) in 16 NAPHL games played to date, including 2 power play goals and one game winning goal. Overall, Schwarzmiller has posted 83 points (34G, 49A) in 56 games played, including 6 power play goals and 1 shorthanded goal, for the Stars 18U squad.

"It is quite an honor for these players to be named to represent the NAPHL in such a highly scouted event," said Stars and NAPHL Head Coach Dave Kosick. "And I am proud of the guys named, but also confident that several other Stars players could, and perhaps should, have been named to the squad as well."

The NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament is played in conjunction with the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. The event is one of the most highly scouted events of its kind, with hundreds of junior, NCAA and NHL again expected in attendance this season.

The NAPHL 18U Top Prospects team is a collection of the best 18U players from the NAPHL T1ER League teams. It is a unique opportunity for the NAPHL because no other youth league provides their players with this type of exposure, which will include all 31 NAHL teams and hundreds of NCAA and NHL scouts. The team consists of 12 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goalies.

The NAPHL Top Prospects team will face the NA3HL West Squad at 12:00 p.m. noon on Monday, Feb. 6. The Top Prospects team will conclude the two-game event with a 9:30 a.m. game against the NA3HL Junior squad on Tuesday, Feb 7.