(Orange County, CA – January 14, 2019) – As esports and the sport of hockey continue to expand both nationally and locally, the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) is partnering with the Anaheim Ducks to combine the two pursuits on-screen and in-person with an esports tournament. The tournament will use EA Sports NHL 19 as a platform to educate high schoolers while enjoying the play of hockey. With the additional support of the Anaheim Ducks, winning players and schools will take home scholarships with a combined value of nearly $25,000. The top winner earns a $5,000 college scholarship plus a $2,500 grant for their high school.

NASEF will host the scholastic NHL 19 tournament from Feb. 18, 2019 – Mar. 15, 2019 in conjunction with the Anaheim Ducks. High schoolers can participate through their school or community organization’s NASEF Club. Students can win scholarships ranging from $1,000 - $5,000 for their own college education, plus grants up to $2,500 for their high schools. Additional scholarships will be given to students who win creative “Beyond the Game™” competitions with a hockey theme. Participants may also qualify for gear and gifts from the Ducks.

All high schoolers in Southern California are encouraged to register for the tournament through their NASEF high school or community-based organization. NASEF Clubs are easy to set up, and participation is free. Learn how to establish a club here.

To make it possible for more students to participate in this Tournament, NASEF is providing participating schools with up to two “all-in-one” kits (which they can keep after the tournament). Each kit is valued at $750 and includes:

• (1) XBox One S Console
• (2) Controllers
• (1) Console case with a monitor
• (1) EA Sports NHL 19 Game
• (1) 3-month subscription to XBox Live Gold

Concurrent with the NASEF High School Tournament, the Anaheim Ducks will host a similar NHL 19 Open Tournament for adults age 18 and up who live in Southern California during the same dates (Feb. 18, 2019 – Mar. 17, 2019). Players competing for this portion will register individually for the tournament. The top players will receive Ducks jerseys as well as four tickets to the Anaheim Ducks Fan Appreciation Night on Apr. 3, 2019 when the team hosts the Calgary Flames.

Players in either the Adult Open or High School tournaments must opt-in (register) by the week of Feb. 15, 2019 (dates vary for each tournament) to participate in the four-week tournament, which will feature 1v1 play with a weekly best of three series. Registration for the Adult Open Tournament is available at www.anaheimducks.com/esports. Details on the single day team finals for both the High School and Adult Open tournaments will be announced at a future date.

“NASEF is the leading organization for high school esports, connecting play and learning through professional-quality game tournaments and workshops, webinars, coaching, state-approved high school classes and more,” said Mark Deppe, Commissioner of NASEF.

“We’re thrilled at the depth of options that hockey as both a sport and an esport provides for learning,” Deppe continued. “Hockey is a fast-paced game that requires players and coaches to continually make split-second decisions based on the information available to them; the same principles hold true for the NHL19 esports world. How can you think like a team statistician and analyze available game play data to increase your future likelihood of scoring? How can you use principles of physics to generate more offense and defense? And how might you think like a general manager and use limited resources to maximize the talent and depth of your team? How will you develop a web presence and market to members and fans? All of these elements are folded into NASEF’s NHL19 esports tournament.”

About the North America Scholastic Esports Federation 

The North America Scholastic Esports Federation is working to ensure that ALL students possess the knowledge and skills needed to be society’s game changers: educated, productive, and empathetic individuals. NASEF is on a mission to provide opportunities for ALL students to use esports as a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. The Federation’s core values are intertwined through all aspects of education and play: learning, opportunity, community, diversity, and respect. 

Under the Samueli Foundation’s leadership, the Federation is led by partners from the Orange County Department of Education, OC STEM Initiative, Connected Camps, Connected Learning Lab, UCI Esports, UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and the UCI Bren School of Information & Computer Science. 

Learn more at the NASEF website. Members of the press can find videos, infographics, and leadership profiles in the online press room. Join online conversations on Twitter @NASEFgg for esports updates and @NASEFedu for our education news, on Facebook and Instagram, and see matches streamed live on our Twitch channel. 

Note: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.