Six players from Kelowna’s Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy midget U18 team have been selected for the upcoming North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) Top Prospects Tournament this weekend in Geneva, Illinois.
Suiting up for Team West will be forwards Tyler Barrett, Brandon Duhaime, Konnor Madsen and Hunter Zandee. Joining them will be defenceman Kolten Carpenter and goaltender Ryan Bontorin. Team West will take on squads from Team Great Lakes, Team North and Team South. The annual event is designed to provide a platform for players to be viewed by NCAA schools and NAHL scouts.
“POE is very excited for the great opportunity these six players have to play at an elite level against elite players,” said POE 18U Head Coach Ryan Wade. “It is a reward for all their hard work during the year to be selected to the NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament. We know they will represent themselves and POE well.”
Barrett, a Kelowna native, finished off his Midget career at POE with eight points in 19 NAPHL games. In four playoff games he was held scoreless, but the hard working physical forward will be looking to turn some heads with his tremendous speed.
Duhaime, at 16, being one of the younger players in the NAPHL 18U division finished the season tied for 15th in league scoring and third in team scoring with 25 points in 24 games. He was one of five POE midget 18U players to play in all 24 NAPHL games. He was an AP with the West Kelowna Warriors this year and played in 3 regular season games.
Madsen capped off his three year POE career with nine points in 24 games. The 5-foot-11 165-pound native of Kelowna was held scoreless in the 2014 NAPHL Playoffs.
Zandee played all 24 games as well, and produced eight goals and seven assists in his final year at POE. The Calgary native had a great playoff run with four goals and one assist in four games. The hard-hitting forward also suited up for two regular season and three playoff games with the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL this season.
Carpenter, a steady, solid, stay at home defenseman finished the season with two assists in 23 games during the regular season and pointless in four playoff games. The Likely, B.C. native played one game with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL this season.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Bontorin was outstanding during the year finishing with a record of 8-5-0-1. In the eight victories he produced one shutout and ended the year with a 2.60 GAA and .903 save percentage.
