The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced that Connor Strobel, a goaltender with the Esmark Stars U16 team, was selected as the Apex Learning Virtual School Peak Performer U16 Number One Star - Goaltender for the month of September.

The award was based upon player performance at the first NAPHL event of the 2018-2019 season which took place in Blaine, MN, Sept. 20-23.

Strobel, a native of Butler, PA,  (6'2"/170 lbs.), was perfect in two appearances in Blaine, as he stopped all 47 shots he faced and picked up two wins in helping lead the Stars to a 3-0-0-1 record at the league's first regular season showcase.

Strobel turned aside all 27 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Janesville Jets  and all 20 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the TOEHL's Iowa WIld. 

"Connor was outstanding," said Esmark 16U head coach Yuri Krivokhija. "He gave us a chance to win both games and that is all you can ask from your goaltenders."

After each NAPHL league event, the league's central scouting staff selects top performers (three stars), for the 18U and 16U divisions, as well as the 15U division for events in which they participate, for offense, defense and goaltending.

The NAPHL's High Performance Division, in which Esmark participates, is comprised of four regular-season events leading up to its Championship Tournament, the Dixon Cup Playoffs. The next NAPHL event of the 2018-19 season will take place from Oct. 19-22, 2018, at the Super Rink in Blaine, MN.

Now in its tenth season, the NAPHL is composed of Midget Major (18U) and Midget Minor (16U & 15U) teams from across North America that compete at the Tier I level.

The NAPHL provides an organized and competitive experience with an unrivaled scouting presence guaranteed to benefit all of the participating student-athletes and programs and has established itself as the premiere training ground for development and exposure.

Not only have players in the NAPHL gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), they received recognition from NHL Central Scouting each year, dozens receive scholarships to NCAA Division I schools and hundreds more have been drafted and tendered by North American Hockey League (NAHL) and United States Hockey League (USHL) teams.

The NAPHL, which is sanctioned by USA Hockey, is designed to maximize the exposure of all the participants through the NAHL's high-profile recruiting events that attract hundreds of college, junior and professional scouts.

For more information on the NAPHL, visit www.naphl.com.