JANESVILLE, WI— The Janesville, Jets, proud members of the North American Hockey League, are pleased to announce the selections of head coach Gary Shuchuk and seven players to the 2018 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, held February 27-28 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.
The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament attracted more than 250 scouts at last season’s event, featuring nearly every NHL team and NCAA Division I school. The tournament provides scouts in attendance with a look at some of the best NAHL players without a commitment.
Each NAHL division is represented by a 20-man team, selected from the divisions’ teams. From a roster freeze on Monday, February 5th, division standings dictated the roster allotments. The Jets, holding 2nd place in the Midwest Division, will send four players to the Midwest Division Team. Fairbanks Ice Dogs head coach Trevor Stewart will serve as head coach, with Shuchuk joining as an assistant.
NHL Central Scouting selected two teams, NAHL Selects Red and NAHL Selects White, comprised of draft-eligible players, regardless of their commitment status.
Midwest Division
#1 Garrett Nieto
Goaltender
Yorba Linda, CA
6-1 | 180
May 15, 1998
2017-18 Season
16-3-0-1 | 2.20 GAA | .926 SV%
NAHL Career
17-5-0-1 | 2.44 GAA | .917 SV%
He Says
“Being selected to the Top Prospects tournament is a huge honor. I can’t thank the guys on this team for everything they’ve done for me this year and I’m excited for the opportunity.” — Nieto
Coach Says
“Garrett, like Daniel [Lebedeff], has been steady and a great goalie. He’s been a backbone for our team. His numbers speak for themselves over the last month and a half.” — HC Shuchuk
#77 Alec Semandel
Defense
Waunakee, WI
6-3 | 200
May 23, 1998
2017-18 Season
41 GP | 4G – 10A – 14PTS | +14
NAHL Career
84 GP | 8G – 19A – 27PTS | +27
He Says
“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to represent the Janesville Jets at the Top Prospects Tournament. It will be a good time to showcase our individual talents in front of a lot of schools.” — Semandel
Coach Says
“This is going to be a great opportunity for Alec. He gets a chance to showcase what he can do and there will be a lot of colleges who will want to see him play the way I know he can.” — HC Shuchuk
#8 Brenden MacLaren
Forward
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
5-11 | 190
Nov 30, 1998
2017-18 Season
25 GP | 10G – 9A – 19PTS | +11
NAHL Career
54 GP | 13G – 12A – 25PTS | +9
He Says
“It’s an honor to represent the Jets and the Midwest Division. I’m excited to get the chance to play with the other guys from our division. It’ll be a great opportunity to play in front of hundreds of scouts.” — MacLaren
Coach Says
“Coming back from his injury, Brenden has been one of our steadiest forwards. This is an opportunity for Brenden to show scouts how hard he plays and the kind of gritty and talented forward he is.” — HC Shuchuk
#71 Erik Palmqvist
Forward
Linköping, Sweden
6-6 | 218
July 20, 1998
2017-18 Season (rookie)
32 GP | 6G – 14A – 20PTS | +8
NAHL Career
32 GP | 6G – 14A – 20PTS | +8
He Says
“It’s an honor to be named, and it’s an experience I’m going to remember for a long time.” — Palmqvist
Coach Says
“There’s been a lot of talk about Erik related to his size, but there’s a lot more to him. Lots of scouts have tried to make it out to see him play, and there’s been some bad luck with his injuries, so this is a great chance for him to play his game in front of people.” — HC Shuchuk
Gary Shuchuk
Assistant Coach
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2017-18 Season
28-9-2-2 (60pts)
2nd, Midwest Division
He Says
“It’s gonna be great, a complete honor to coach with Trevor [Stewart]. He’s been in the league for a long time. He’s a great coach with tons of success in Fairbanks. I can’t wait to pick his brain about his time at different levels of hockey, and he’s just a great guy to spend time with.”
NAHL Selects White
#30 Daniel Lebedeff
Goaltender
Helsinki, Finland
6-2 | 188
May 23, 1999
2017-18 Season (rookie)
12-6-2-1 | 2.26 GAA | .927 SV%
NAHL Career
12-6-2-1 | 2.26 GAA | .927 SV%
Coach Says
“Daniel has been playing very steady hockey for us. He’s probably one of the best goalies in the NAHL over the last month and a half. He was already on the Central Scouting’s list early on, and didn’t make the midterm report, but I think this is a good opportunity for him to get back in front of the eyes of some NHL scouts.” — HC Shuchuk
#19 Sam Renlund
Forward
Verona, WI
5-11 | 175
Apr 4, 2000
2017-18 Season (rookie)
25 GP | 5G – 13A – 18PTS | +2
NAHL Career
25 GP | 5G – 13A – 18PTS | +2
He Says
“I’m excited to get to play some more hockey.” — Renlund
Coach Says
“Sam’s been playing good. He’s been playing how he’s supposed to be playing, and that’s how he got noticed. He’s learning how to be a 200-foot player. That’s starting to show, and hopefully he puts that on display at this event.” — HC Shuchuk
#68 Jakov Novak
Forward
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
6-3 | 201
Oct 22, 1998
2017-18 Season
38 GP | 25G – 28A – 53PTS | +30
NAHL Career
92 GP | 37G – 45A – 82PTS | +35
He Says
“It means a lot going to the Top Prospect Game as it is a little recognition for all the hard work I’ve put in, from summer workouts to training camp to now. I can’t wait to attend the game, continue our season, and make strides towards the Robertson Cup!” — Novak
Coach Says
“Jakov is one of the best players in the league, and he’ll now get to showcase that at Top Prospects and hopefully in front of the eyes of NHL people.” — HC Shuchuk
The Jets have filled 19 roster spots with 17 players over the last three tournaments. Of those 17 players, 14 acquired an NCAA commitment, of which 12 were to Division I schools. Listed below are Jets Top Prospects from the last three seasons, with the NCAA commitment they made in their junior hockey career.
2017 Top Prospects
F Michael Maloney (Selects) — BROWN
F Jakov Novak (Selects) — BENTLEY
F Peter Bates (Midwest) — ST. NORBERT
F Keegan Miller (Midwest)
F Cullen Munson (Midwest) — MINNESOTA
D Lordanthony Grissom (Midwest) — AURORA
D Adam Roeder (Midwest) — NORTHERN MICHIGAN
2016 Top Prospects
G Jack LaFontaine (Selects) — MICHIGAN
F Dawson DiPietro (Midwest) — WESTERN MICHIGAN
F Adam Winborg (Midwest) — MICHIGAN
D Andrew Roye (Midwest)
D Alex Smith (Midwest)
2015 Top Prospects
F Mitch Fossier (Selects) — MAINE
F Dan Kucerovy (North) — BENTLEY
F Adam Winborg (North) — MICHIGAN
F Brandon Schultz (North) — NORTHEASTERN
D Alex Smith (North)
D Zach Yoder (North) — AIR FORCE
G Matt Jurusik (North) — WISCONSIN