Culmination of NHL19 esports tournament sponsored by the Anaheim Ducks and North America Scholastic Esports Federation

(Orange County, CA – March 31, 2019) – The inaugural season of NASEF’s NHL19 esports tournament wrapped up on March 30 with exciting head-to-head competition between finalists from local high schools. Andrew V. was the victor in the tournament, winning a $5,000 college scholarship plus a $2,500 grant for his school, Tesoro High School. Several scholarships, grants, and prizes were awarded with a combined value of $20,000. The event took place in the heart of the Anaheim Ducks watch party at the Esports Arena Orange County.

NASEF, the North America Scholastic Esports Federation, partnered with the Anaheim Ducks to offer this esports tournament which leveraged EA Sports NHL 19 as a platform to educate high schoolers while enjoying online play of hockey.

Students from 17 Southern California high schools participated in the tournament. Playoffs featured players from these schools:

• Eastlake High School
• El Dorado High School
  
• Fountain Valley High School
  
• La Quinta High School
  
• Magnolia High School
  
• Tesoro High School
  
• Troy High School
  
• Villa Park High School

After a season of competition among dozens of players, the final four players faced off on Saturday, with these results:

• First place Andrew V. – Tesoro High School, $5,000 scholarship
• Second place Max M. – Troy High School, $2,500 scholarship
• Third place Luke M. – Tesoro High School, $1,500 scholarship
• Fourth place Alex M. – Troy High School , $1,000 scholarship

Keeping with NASEF’s focus on the intersection of esports and education, $1,000 scholarships were also awarded to five students who won “Beyond the Game™” competitions with a hockey theme. Their schools will receive a $500 grant as well. Entries came from across North America. Winners are:

• Logo Design: Spencer H. – Mexico High School/Hart Career Center, Mexico, MO
• Flyer Creation: Joshua L. – Troy High School, Fullerton, CA
• Blog: Daniel T. – Westminster High School Westminster, CA
• Video: Singing Coyote M. – Magnolia High School, Anaheim, CA
• Team Analysis: Joshua L. – Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos, CA

Student Spencer H., winner of the logo design category, said, “The thrill of a 1v1 is what I look forward to at every tournament I play. NASEF has also given opportunities such as this one to further my education. I plan in double majoring in Graphic Design and Game Design, so NASEF is actually giving me experience in or near both fields while also giving me the opportunity to pay for it.”

Concurrent with the NASEF High School Tournament, the Anaheim Ducks hosted a similar NHL 19 Open Tournament for adults during the same dates. The finals for the Open Division were held on March 30 at the same time that the high schoolers played. Prizes included Ducks jerseys as well as four tickets to the Anaheim Ducks Fan Appreciation Night, and a TV from TCL. Top honors went to Harut Janikian.

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. 

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