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Pop Quiz… who is currently leading the North American Hockey League (NAHL) in goals this season? If you answered former NA3HL and St. Louis Jr. Blues forward Frankie Melton, you would be correct!  Melton played and developed in the NA3HL for the past two seasons and this year, has found a permanent home with the NAHL’s Shreveport Mudbugs, a new expansion team for the 2016-17 season. His 19 goals currently leads all NAHL players.

Melton is one of dozens of recent success stories and examples of NA3HL players have success at the next levels of hockey.

“Each year, more and more top level NA3HL players earn the opportunity to advance on to the NAHL. The fact remains that no other Tier III league in the country sends more players on to the NAHL than the NA3HL,” said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. “A big component of this is our events like this week’s NA3HL Showcase, the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament in February and the Silver Cup Championship in late March. The enhanced level of play, the level of commitment and the competition on the ice makes for a pretty fantastic product. The results and numbers behind the player advancement speak for themselves.”

In the middle of its seventh season, the NA3HL serves as the top training ground in the country by providing the best coaching, exposure and developmental vehicles available for student-athletes in Tier III junior hockey. It is the only nationwide Tier III junior hockey league in USA Hockey with 48 teams in 22 states.

The advancement hasn’t slowed down during the current 2016-17 season. More than 20 players have either been called up the NAHL or signed tenders with NAHL teams so far this season. “At the end of the day, our team’s and league is all about advancing players,” said Metro Jets head coach Justin Quenneville, who is a former NAHL head coach. “All of the guys getting called up and advancing have definitely earned these opportunities through hard work and development.”

One of the many recent examples of NA3HL players advancing to the NAHL and having success is current Kenai River Brown Bears and former New Ulm Steel/Granite City Lumberjacks goalie, Robbie Goor. The native of Anoka, Minnesota, put up great numbers in the month of November in the NAHL, which had him in consideration for Goaltender of the Month honors. After spending two years in the NA3HL, Goor has now seen action in the NAHL with two different teams. “I knew I could play at the NAHL level, I just needed a team to give me a chance,” Goor said. “It changed the way I look at the game. I tell people, ‘Don’t dog the NA3HL.’ I’m a perfect example. There are people in that league who can play. My ultimate goal is to play Division I or pro hockey or even Division III – just to play as long as I can.”

The NA3HL has also experienced a record number of college commitments in recent seasons.  In 2016, over 150 NA3HL players made college commitments, with more than 100 of those being NCAA commitments.

Two of the more notable recent commitments came from players who began their junior hockey careers in the NA3HL, then advanced to the NAHL and who are now in their freshman seasons playing NCAA Division I hockey. That includes former Pittsburgh Vengeance forward Alex Berardinelli (Colorado College) and former Granite City Lumberjacks forward Christian Mohs (Miami OH).

In both instances, Berardinelli and Mohs spent considerable time playing in the NA3HL and in both instances, they were noticed because of their development and then participation and success in the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament. Berardinelli spent two full seasons with Pittsburgh, while Mohs spent a full season with Granite City.

“The biggest thing for me was to trust the process. Each league, whether it was the NA3HL or the NAHL, gives players the forum and opportunity to show what they can do. You have to work hard and listen to your coaches,” said Berardinelli. “Playing junior hockey was the best time of my life. I made friends that I will know I will have for a long time. The goals change depending on which league you are playing in, but the work ethic needs to keep getting better and better as you climb the ladder.”