Ryan Ladika/MDN Nikolai Charchenko (left), pictured from Minot's May 7 game against Bismarck, will join teammates Jack Westlund, Ethan Schmunk, Will Crull and Jay Buchholz at the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament this weekend.

The potential next step for five Minot Minotauros’ hockey careers has arrived, as the NAHL’s 2021 Top Prospects Tournament will be held June 19-20 alongside the Robertson Cup Championship in Blaine, Minnesota.

Forwards Ethan Schmunk, Jack Westlund and Jay Buchholz, and defensemen Will Crull and Nikolai Charchenko will make the trip to Blaine to showcase their skills on the ice in the two-day tournament in front of hundreds of NHL and NCAA scouts, according to a June 16 NAHL press release.

The quintet is looking to join the 336 NAHL players already committed to an NCAA program. The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament plays a big role in that success with over half of the players who played in last year’s event earning an NCAA opportunity following their participation.

Schmunk, a late add to the Central division’s roster, did not join the Minotauros until January. He notched an assist in his Minot debut Jan. 15, and quickly shot up the team’s point leaderboard, finishing fourth on the squad with 26 on the strength of nine goals and 17 assists.

He was also a key factor in the Minotauros’ thrilling five-game first-round postseason series against the Aberdeen Wings, scoring a goal and adding two more assists for three more points in the playoffs.

“We had a great team there, and down the stretch we were playing really well,” Schmunk said. “Seems like the points all of a sudden just started coming. When you’re winning, they’re easy to come by.”

Buchholz is the lone Minotauros skater to return to the tournament after taking part in the 2020 event. He registered one assist in the two games and contributed 22 points in 38 games throughout the 2020-21 regular season, highlighted by five multi-point games.

Westlund, the Minotauros’ captain, appeared in 47 regular-season games for Minot, scoring 11 goals and helping on 18 more for a point total of 29. His five power play goals led the team, and he was also named the Central Division Star of the Week for the period between Feb. 8-14.

Minot played just two games during that time, but Westlund scored the game-winning goal in both contests against the Minnesota Wilderness. He also assisted on four goals during the Minotauros’ playoff series against Aberdeen.

Crull was a steady and consistent presence on the blue line for Minot, appearing in a team-high 53 games during the regular season, a mark matched only by forward Damon Zimmer. He provided nine points during the 2020-21 campaign, and upped his game in the postseason, leading the team in plus-minus with a positive four goals. Only forward Kyle Kukkonen matched Crull in that category in the playoffs.

Charchenko appeared in 48 games for Minot during the regular season, marking his third straight year with the Minotauros, and recorded seven assists, just two shy of his career high set during the 2019-20 campaign.

The quintet is looking to join Kukkonen (Michigan Tech University), Keenan Rancier (Minnesota State University), Blaine Warnert (University of St. Thomas), Cade Stibbe and Tyler Kostelecky (Arizona State University), Reid Bogenholm and Cole Mickel (Air Force Academy), and Max Bogdanovich (University of Maine) as members of Minot’s 2020-21 team with college commitments.

For the five skaters, the goal remains to solidify their plans for their hockey careers going forward, but as Schmunk noted, it is an honor to be selected to play among the top uncommitted prospects in the NAHL.

“It’s going to be great. There are obviously a lot of really good uncommitted players who are going to be there, and it’s going to be fun,” he said. “I’m really thankful to get a chance to go and play in a high-end game with a lot of high-end players, and it’ll be nice to get to see my teammates too.”