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Gray Selected Number One Star by NAPHL

By DLG, 02/07/19, 9:30PM EST

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16U Stars Defenseman Recognized

The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced that Trent Gray, a defenseman with the Esmark Stars U16 team, was selected as the Apex Learning Virtual School Peak Performer U16 Number One Star - Defenseman for the month of January.

The award was based upon player performance at the fifth NAPHL event of the 2018-2019 season which took place in Troy, MI, Jan. 18-21.

Gray, a junior at Hempfield High School,  (5’11"/195 lbs.), saved his best NAPHL event of the season for the final regular season league showcase where he recorded five assists in four games in Troy, and helped lead the Stars to a 2-2-0-0 showing.

For the season, Gray who leads the Stars defenseman in NAPHL scoring, has recorded 6 points (all assists) in 16 league games. Overall, so far this season, Gray has recorded 13 points (1 goal and 12 assists) in 44 games for the Stars U16 team.

"Trent had a nice weekend," said Esmark 16U head coach Yuri Krivokhija. "He is a solid defensive defenseman, so to see him get on the scoresheet and lead our defensive group was great."

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

The NAPHL's 16U AAA 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 16U NAPHL event of the 2018-19 season, and the final event of the season, the Dixon Cup Playoffs, will take place from Feb. 15-17, 2019, in Troy, MI.

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.