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PITTSTON TWP. &#8212; Junior hockey will reach its latest milestone for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights organization when it opens its first North American Hockey League training camp Thursday at the Revolution Ice Centre.About 68 players are expected for a grueling process that will begin Thursday night and continue through Sunday morning when 23 players will emerge as those to be invited back to main camp Aug. 23.Since the end of the 2014-15 junior hockey season, the Knights have placed both the Eastern Hockey League and Metropolitan Junior Hockey League franchises in dormant status in order to move up to the USA Hockey Tier II junior level and the NAHL.The Knights have gone through the NAHL Draft, signed top recruits to &#8220;tenders&#8221; and issued another 45 invitations to players for the tryout camp.With the league&#8217;s divisional alignment and schedule in place for the 2015-16 season, it&#8217;s time to get the team ready for competition.&#8220;We&#8217;re very excited,&#8221; Knights coach/general manager Justin Lyle said Wednesday. &#8220;It&#8217;s been a long time coming.&#8221;The NAHL is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, making it the second-highest level of junior hockey in the nation. It has stretched further east this season with the addition of the Knights, the (suburban Philadelphia) Aston Rebels and New Jersey Titans, two East Division rivals. The Johnstown Tomahawks are the other East Division team.The United States Hockey League, based in the Midwest, is the only USA Hockey Tier I league.&#8220;The new East Division is a very exciting step for the NAHL and one that is reflective of the changing landscape in the league,&#8221; NAHL commissioner Mark Frankenfeld said on the league website. &#8220;The NAHL has a wide variety of markets that enabled our owners to sustain and grow their respective teams, so that they may continue to provide opportunities for the players and entertainment for the communities that support them.&#8220;We feel like the new teams in the East will not only provide their teams with enhanced access to scouts and a deep player pool, but also allow them to showcase the type of hockey that has enabled the NAHL to thrive as a premier development league for 40 years now.&#8221;Junior hockey is for players ages 16-20 at the time the season starts.Braden Brown, originally from Dallas, Tex., was the first pick by the Knights and the first overall pick of the NAHL Draft out of the Little Caesars U-18 team in Michigan.The Knights had the most selections in the draft because they had the most open roster spots. They chose 16 players, including snagging two northeastern Pennsylvania players with the last two picks. Defensemen Paul DeNaples, from Moscow, and Joseph Campolieto, from Eynon, who played on the Knights U-16 team.A significant majority of NAHL roster spots are filled by players who wind up with National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college commitments.The Knights open their regular season Sept. 18 at home against Johnstown. They head to Blaine, Minn. for the NAHL&#8217;s annual showcase there Sept. 23-26 and will play a game each day against teams from other divisions.The roster they take into play will be formed over the next few days.Lyle will run the team through a practice session Thursday night. After more practice early Friday, four teams of 17 players will square off in round-robin games Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon.After each has played three games, the top 40 players will be invited to a camp all-star game Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The 23 main camp invitees will come from that game.All sessions are open to the public and also will be attended by college coaches and coaches from other levels of junior hockey.Lyle said ticket information is being finalized and hopes it will be online in the next week at wbsknights.com.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom RobinsonFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @tlsports.</shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights gearing up for NAHL season