Pittsburgh Hornets

After the New York Rangers AHL team the Connecticut Whale completed their season JT Miller and a number of other prospects have been called up to the NHL.  JT is by far the youngest player on the roster at this point.  Congratulations and good luck in the playoffs.

Three former Pittsburgh Hornets were named to the 3 OHL All Star Teams.  Forward Brendan Saad and goaltender Michael Houser were both named to the first team.  Goaltender John Gibson was named to the third team.  Congratulations to all three players.

Former Pittsburgh Hornet Michael Houser has been named goaltender of the year in the Ontario Hockey League.  Mike compiled a record of 46-15 and tied the mark for the most wins in a season by a goaltender in the OHL.  The only other American to ever recieve the award is Craig Anderson, now the starting goalie for the Otawa Senators. 

Update:  Michale has also been named the league MVP.  His London Knights open the OHL championship series aganist Niagara this week.  Congratulations Mike and good luck in the rest of the playoffs.

Reports from Chicago are that 19 year old former Hornet Brandon Saad will make his first ever playoff appearance in only his 3rd in the NHL for game 4 against the Phoenix Coyotes.  With the injury to Marian Hossa and the suspension of Andrew Shaw the Hawks called up the 19 year old winger earlier this week.  The game can be seen at 8:00pm on CNBC.

Two former Pittsburgh Hornets goaltender Parker Milner and defenseman Pat Wey captured the NCAA Division I hockey title as members of the Boston College Eagles.  Milner had a stellar frozen four to top of an incredible season where he went 29-5 with a 1.66 GAA and had a 0.937 save percentage. 

Congratulations Parker and Pat.

 The Pittsburgh Hornets U18 team fell to the Los Angeles Jr. Kings 2-0 in the Semi-final of the National Championship tournament.  By virtue of that loss the Hornets finish in 3rd place.  This is the second third place finish in two years at the U18/U16 levels with only Shattuck St. Marys having done better over the last 2 years.

The team played with eleven or twelve skaters in every game at the tournament against teams that dressed 16-20 players.  Congratulations to the U18 team on a terrific run.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have teamed up with the Pittsburgh Hornets amateur program and Dick’s Sporting Goods to create a new amateur hockey program in the Pittsburgh area.

The “Pittsburgh Penguins Elite” will feature 13 teams playing at the AAA level – eight boys teams and five girls teams.

The teams will hold tryouts in April and will start play in the fall of 2012. All the teams will use the Penguins’ name, logo and colors.

“Part of our overall vision of supporting local youth hockey has been to create an elite Pittsburgh Penguins youth program that would attract top players in different age groups, offering an excellent environment to develop skills, teach teamwork and compete against top teams from other areas,” said David Morehouse, CEO and President of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “The Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League (PAHL) and Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL) do such a great job of growing the game here, and there are a number of good amateur programs. But we thought it made sense to have a AAA program directly affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“The opportunity to partner with one of the top AAA programs in the country in the Pittsburgh Hornets and one of the most socially-conscious, sports-oriented businesses in Dick’s Sporting Goods is one that excites us. We think we can do great things together as Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.”

NHL Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Penguins alum Bryan Trottier and NHL referee Stephen Walkom are part of the new program’s board, while former Penguin Mark Recchi will be part of the coaching staff.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite teams will compete in the Tier I Elite Hockey League that includes the Philadelphia Junior Flyers, the Buffalo Junior Sabres, the DC Capitals, the Dallas AAA Stars, the Phoenix Junior Coyotes and the Los Angeles Junior Kings, among others.

“The Pittsburgh Hornets are proud to join forces with the NHL Penguins and Dick’s Sporting Goods to create this exciting new amateur program for players in the Pittsburgh area,” said Jan Lehigh, president of the Hornets. “The Hornets program has had a long tradition of developing young players both on and off the ice – including many NCAA Division 1, national team and NHL players – and this collaborative effort with the Pens and Dick’s will only enhance that development now that we are Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.”

“Dick’s Sporting Goods is thrilled to be the title sponsor of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program. At Dick’s, we are passionate about youth sports and committed to helping young athletes achieve their goals of playing at the highest level” said Lauren Hobart, Dick’s Sporting Goods Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Our involvement with the Penguins’ Elite program is a great opportunity for us to help athletes in our home town of Pittsburgh, and we look forward to seeing the team come together and thrive.”

The eight boys teams will play in the following age groups: Midget (1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 birth years); Bantam (1998 and 1999), Pee Wee (2000 and 2001) and Squirt (2002 and 2003).

The five girls teams will be 19-and-under, 16-and-under, 14-and-under, 12-and-under and 10-and-under.

The boys teams will practice and play home games at RMU Island Sports Center. The girls teams will practice and play home games at both RMU Island Sports Center and Shadyside Academy.

Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Boys will host the 2013 USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championships in the Under-18, Under-16 and Under-14 age groups at RMU Island Sports Center.

Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Girls will host an annual Thanksgiving Classic – one of the largest AAA Girls tournaments in the US and Canada, attracting more than 100 teams.
 

The Penguins Elite head coaches for the 2012-2013 season:

U18 Chris Stern email: sluggoesq@yahoo.com

U16 Jeff Potter email: jeff3potts@yahoo.com

1998 Jim Lilja email: James.lilja@oce.com

1999 Kevin Quinn email: quinnk@qvsd.org

2000 Mike Magulick email: michael.magulick@pnc.com

2001 Mike Schall email: HOCKEY2130@GMAIL.COM

2002 Milo Cermak email: cermihockey@yahoo.com

2003 Cliff Loya email: cloya2@hotmail.com

The Pittsburgh Hornets U18 team defeated the Viper Stars 4-1 to win the Midam District Title and advance to the USA Hockey National Championship in Buffalo, New York.  The Hornets got out to an early 3-0 lead and despite only having 12 skaters dressed they managed to hang on for the victory. Click on the link below to read more about the U18 teams victory.

The national tournament will begin Wednesday March 28th when the U18 Hornets will face the New York state champion.   You can follow all the action at www.usahockey.com Congratulations and good luck.

The Hornets U16 team forward Dylan Fouts has been selected to attend the USA Hockey National Team Developement Program annual tryout camp.  Dylan will be joinging 50 or so of the best 15 year old players in the country attempting to earn a spot on the prestigious NTDP.  The camp begins on Monday March 19th in Ann Arbor Michigan.  Good Luck Dylan.

Former Pittsburgh Hornet goaltender John Gibson and current member of the Kitchener Rangers(OHL) has signed a three year entry level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.  John was drafted in the 2nd round 39th overall in last summers entry draft.  He played the 2 seasons before this one with the NTDP in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was also a memebr of the 2012 US World Junior team.   Congratulations John. 

Four former members of the Pittsbugh Hornets have been named to the 22 man  roster for the 2012 World Junior Championship to be held in Alberta, Canada.  The first is Stephen Johns currently playing for the University of Notre Dame.  Second is Brandon Saad who is playing for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and started the season playing for the Chicago Blackhawks.  Third is the 2011 first round pick of the New York Rangers JT Miller who is with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL.  The fourth is goaltender John Gibson a member of the Kitchener Rangers, who was named to the team before camp.

The tournament will begin on Monday December 26th when  Team USA faces off against Denmark at 6:00pm.  All of the games will be shown on NHL Network.  Congratulations to all and for more information on the team and tournament, including the broadcast schedule go to www.USAHockey.com.   

The Pittsburgh Hornets are pleased to announce that they will be hosting the 2013 USA Hockey National Championships for the Tier I U14, U16 and U18 divisions.  Once again Robert Morris Island Sports Center will be the host facility.  We look forward to making this a special event for the Hornet's and all the participating teams.

In what can only be described as a historical whirlwind over the last month, Brendan Saad has made the Chicago Blackhawks as an 18 year old.  Brandon's accomplishment brings a number of rare feats. 

He will be by far the youngest Western Pennsylvania player to make the NHL.  Along with Ryan O'Riley of the Colorado Avalanche in 2009, he becomes only the 2nd non-first round pick to make an NHL team as an 18 year old in the last few decades.  He is the first American born non first round pick to make an NHL roster at 18.  He joins a short list of Americans who have made NHL teams at 18 along with Cam Fowler, Patrick Kane, Bobby Carpenter, Phil Housley, Ed Olczyk, Tim Connely, and Tom Barrasso.  

The Blackhawks face the Dallas Stars on Friday at 8:30pm.  Good luck Brandon

The Pittsburgh Hornets would like to thank all of the participants in their first annual golf outing.  Below you will find pictures from the outing.  Thanks again for all your help in raising money for our player emergency fund.

Following being selected with the 15th overall pick in the NHL Draft JT MIller has made it official by signing an entry level contract with the New York Rangers.  Click on the link below to read the full press release.

Former Hornet JT Miller was selected in the first round 15th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2011 NHL Draft.  The selection broke new ground on a number of different fronts.  Miller became the first American trained player selected in the draft.  The pick also made Miller the highest selected player in history from Western Pennsylvania.  Congratulations to JT and good luck on a long career in the NHL.

Day Two of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft saw three more Hornets quickly selected.  John Gibson was the first to go at 39th overall to the Anaheim Ducks.  John was the second goalie selected.  Brandon Saad was then selected 43rd by the Chicago Blackhawks.  Brandon will join his former NTDP and Hornet teammate Stephen Johns in Chicago.   The third Hornet taken was Vince Trocheck who was selected 64th overall by the Florida Panthers.  Congratulations to all the players selected and good luck in the NHL.  

Five former Pittsburgh Hornets have been named as participants in the USA Hockey World Junior Team evaluation camp this August in Lake Placid, NY.  Brandon Saad, who plays for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.    Brandon's teammate with the Saginaw Spirit Vince Trochek was also named to the camp invite list.  Forward JT MIller who just completed two years with the NTDP and will be playing at the University of North Dakota next fall.  The final player is defenseman Stephen Johns, who will be a sophomore at Notre Dame this fall.

The goaltenders participating in the camp have now been named and former Hornet John Gibson was chosen.  John is currently the number one ranked North American goaltender for the NHL Draft and will be attending Michigan in the fall.

 You can find the camp roster and follow the action in August at www.usahockey.com by clicking on the logo to the left.  Good Luck.

Following Matt Miller and Luke Stork being selected in the USHL Futures Draft, today Danny Kucerovy and Shane Shiring were selected in  the leagues Main Draft.  Danny Kucerovy, a member of the U16 team, was selected with the first pick in the 3rd round 31st overall by the Chicago Steel.  Shane Shiring, from the Hornets U18 team,  was chosen in the 15th round by the Youngstown Phantoms.  Congratulations Danny and Shane and good luck.

The USNTDP captured its 3rd consecutive IIHF World U18 championship with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against Sweden. Along with being the 3rd gold in a row for Team USA it was the second consecutive year that multiple former Hornets were on the team.  Following Brandon Saad and Stephen Johns winning the gold in 2010 John Gibson, JT Miller and Barret Kaib all played major roles in the US victory.

JT Miller recorded 13 points in the tournament as the leading scorer for the US squad and John Gibson was named the tournaments best goalie while going undefeated.  Congratulations to our 3 alumni and the rest of Team USA.

The Pittsburgh Hornets are proud to announce that two members of the U16 team were selected in the USHL Futures Draft.  Matt Miller was selected in the 2nd round 24th overall by the Des Moines Buccaneer's.  Shortly after that Luke Stork was selected in the 3rd round 33rd overall by the Youngstown Phantom's.  Congratulations Luke and Matt

The U16 Hornets lost to Honeybaked in the National Semi-final game 4-2 in a well played battle against a strong team thus ending a very successful year.  The Hornets were undefeated in the prelimanary round knocking off the LA Selects 4-3,  the Mid Fairfield Blues 4-1, and  TPH Thunder 4-0.  The Hornets went into overtime, but conquered the North Jersey Avalanche 6-5 in the Quarterfinals. 

Congratulations to the U16 Hornets and Head Coach Jeff Potter, Assistant Coach Joe Tuset and Assistant Coach Rico Day for an outstanding season!

(Of Note - Honeybaked was the eventual Champion of the U16 USA Hockey National Tournament.) 

The Pittsburgh Hornets U16 team clinched the Tier I Elite League Eastern Division title last Saturday night with a 5-0 shutout of the Cleveland Barons.  The teams current record in league play is 23-10-2 with one game remaining against the Buffalo Regals.  Congratulations and good luck the rest of the season and in Districts.

Former Pittsburgh Hornet, and current Boston College Eagle, Patrick Wey has been named to the US World Junior Championship Roster.  Wey becomes the first Hornet since Dylan Reese in 2004 and ond only the fourth Hornet ever, RJ Umberger and Dwight Labrosse being the other two, to be named to the World Junior Team.

The teams first game will be vs Finland Sunday December 26th at 7:30pm.  All of the Team USA games can be seen on NHL Network.  For more information about the tournament in Buffalo, including the game schedule visit www.USAHockey.com  Congratulations and good luck Patrick.

Update: Wey and Team USA captured the Bronze Medal with a 4-2 win against Sweden.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Hornets U18 team for winning the Little Caeser's Motor City Cup with a 3-1 victory of Compuware.  The team went 6-0 on their way to the title defeating league rivals Honeybaked and the Chicago Fury along the way. 

Ryan Malone becomes the first Hornet alumni to win an Olympic medal as he brings home a Silver following Team USA's 3-2 heartbreaking loss in the Gold medal game yesterday.   It was a great tournament, and a great performance, for USA Hockey and we thank all of the American players for a superb effort.

We are a USA Hockey Tier I youth hockey organization dedicated to the development of our players to play at the highest levels of amateur hockey. Our seven teams -- Midget Major through Squirt Major -- play against the top competition in the United States and Canada. Our Midget Majors are members of the highly-regarded Midwest Elite Hockey League, and our other teams play aggressive independent schedules and participate in the top Tier I and AAA tournaments. We are proud of our teams' and players' accomplishments, both on and off the ice, and of our reputation as one of the top organizations in the country for the development of players.

• Dedicated to Tier I skill development
• Accountable to all stakeholders
• Committed to excellence on and off the ice