It could be a scout’s dream to have the best players in the North American Hockey League all under one roof. Last weekend, the Schwan’s Super Rink in Blaine played host to those dreams, as the NAHL Showcase delivered what the league calls "a can't miss for every NCAA program and NHL team, as they get their first look at some of the best and brightest hockey talent North America has to offer."

The three Minnesota teams in the NAHL, the Minnesota Magicians, Minnesota Wilderness and the Austin Bruins, performed admirably during the five-day event, in which all NAHL teams play four regular season games. Also representing themselves well were the State of Hockey natives furthering their hockey careers in Richfield, Cloquet and Austin respectively.

The Magicians won their first game over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights 4-3, with Minnesota natives Cameron Buhl (South St. Paul) and Will Hammer (St. Cloud) scoring goals. Brendan Skarda (Minnetonka) recorded two assists in the win.

In the next two games, the Magicians lost in overtime to the Corpus Christi IceRays and the Aston Rebels by identical 4-3 scores. Nathan Nelsen (Hopkins) and Tanner Tweten (East Grand Forks) scored goals in the first loss. Tweten and Matt Denman (Prior Lake) scored in the loss to Aston. In the final game of the Showcase, the Magicians defeated Bismarck 3-2.

Mitchel Slattery (Lino Lakes) and Travis Brown (Otsego) tallied goals for the Magicians. Denman was named a NAHL Midwest Division Player of the Week for his performance in the Showcase, scoring a goal and adding two assists in four games.

The Wilderness went 3-1- 0 at the Showcase, slipping past the New Jersey Titans 2-1, losing to the Johnstown Tomahawks 2-0 and then downing Topeka 6-2 and Kenai River 3-2. Minnesotans and Duluth East products Luke Dow and Ryan Peterson each had a goal in the win over Topeka, and Dow added two assists in the victory. Cottage Grove native Dylan Mills leads the Wilderness in overall scoring with one goal and four points. 

Austin took the most lumps in the Showcase, going 1-3-0. The Bruins were edged by Topeka in game one, with Sauk Rapids native Travis Kothenbeutel recording a goal. The Fairbanks Ice Dogs shut out the Bruins 2-0 in the second game. Jon Richards (Callaway) scored for the Bruins in game three’s 3-2 win over Johnstown, and Wayzata High School product Alex Schilling made 26 saves. The Bruins lost in overtime to the Lone Star Brahmas 3-2 in their last game.