'The opportunity is great': Three Wings selected to NAHL Top Prospects Tournament
Three Wings players were selected by the NHL Central Scouting as top prospects and will represent Aberdeen at the 2022 North American Hockey League Top Prospects Tournament in Pittsburgh.
Jackson Yee, Kevin MacKay and Jacob Bosse will make the trip. Steve Jennings, the Wings head coach, was also selected as an assistant coach based on the standings.
The Wings were second in the division and qualified for three skaters and an assistant coach via their winning percentage when the league froze the standings for the event on Jan. 10. There are four teams teams at the tournament based on NAHL divisions: Central, East, Midwest and South, with each team rostering 22 players.
It's more than an honor to be selected, Jennings said.
“The opportunity is great, the honor is great. The productivity of the trip is really what we want out of it for those guys," Jennings said. "We really want them to make the most of their opportunity, and they’ve earned a shot. We want them to have more than just fun while they’re there. We want them to actually turn some heads and do some right things."
At the showcase, hundreds of scouts from the NHL, NCAA Division I and NCAA Division III levels attend. There is no NCAA Division II hockey.
"It's going to be steps for the process to get scholarships definitely for us and just getting in contact with all the D-I coaches and D III, too," Bosse said. "It's gonna be fun to just talk to them and make sure they're coming back during the season and watch our games even more."
“It’s one of the biggest scouting events in junior hockey, so from that perspective, it’s a huge honor to be a part of it and really excited to get it going,” Yee added.
Bosse is in his first year in junior hockey. In 35 games, Bosse has recorded 23 points, including 17 assists. That's tied for the third-most on the team.
Both MacKay and Yee have been on the Wings roster for over two years now, and MacKay is the only Aberdeen defenseman to make the trip.
“Kevin has been a mainstay for us defensively. He’s done a great job for us all year and has really been an important part of our team, and not just this year," Jenning said. "He’s been here and has put in a lot of work with us, and I think he’s earned that opportunity not just through this year but previously.”
MacKay has played 90 games in his career for the Wings. He has scored 29 points and is plus 29. Yee has played in 31 games this season and has scored nine goals to go along with four assists.
“Jackson is one of those guys that every locker room loves to have kids like that, and it’s because he works the right way and he’s a good personality (and) brings a hard work ethic. He’s a great Aberdeen guy when we talk about guys who fit in well here, he’s the model citizen, I think,” Jennings said.
All three players are 20 and will be in their last season with the team as the age limit for the NAHL is 20. That makes the showcase even more important.
Even before the showcase, Jennings said the players have already garnered interest at the collegiate level and have been in contact with a number of schools.
On the Central team, the Wings will be accompanied by their division foes.
“It’ll be fun, but, yeah, it’s always interesting when you have those sorts of things and you wind up inevitably kind of building a little bit of a relationship over a couple of days with the kids," Jennings said, "We’re going to get to Wednesday and we’re enemies again.”
Currently, the Wings are sitting tied for fourth place with North Iowa. The Wings are eight points behind the first-place Austin Bruins. The Wings were on a four-game losing streak heading into this weekend's games against North Iowa in Aberdeen. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Odde Ice Center.
"Our younger players are taking steps, but, you know, we're at a point where we need to really put it all together and keep together. That's where my hesitation is. We've had that, but we'd start to get on a run. We win three in a row, four and row, and OK, it's time to get going, and somehow we let it slip through our hands," Jennings said. "That's the frustration.
"Overall, I can't say I'm satisfied because I think we're not in the spot that we truly should be," Jennings added. "But there's still time and an opportunity to make a run."
The showcase is scheduled for Feb. 7-8 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pa. The Central team will be in action at 4 p.m. ET on Feb. 7 against the Midwest Division and will face off against the South Division at 11:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 8.
“I’m glad we got our three (players). I wish we had more, but I think it’s been a good opportunity for us, and it’s been a good opportunity for kids in our program throughout history and we want that to just continue,” Jennings said.
The three Wings hope to join the167 other players in the NAHL who have already made collegiate commitments.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Aberdeen Wings NAHL Top Prospects Tournament selections recruits
