https://www.wpahockey.net/index.php?/discover/Western PA Youth Hockey Forum PIHL PAHL - All ActivityThis league is awful for youth hockey in so many ways. These are not professional athletes. They are young kids playing a sport. They should not be forced to move or billet to play against the top competition at these ages. Thats called trying to make a monoply. Sounds a little like BB. Then what, the NDL teams have signings and need scouts now to scout 13 and 14 year olds lol. Their signing them in January. Absolutely embarrassing to the sport. Its another money grab that is ruining the sport. My sons NONE NDL team played 4 NDL teams this weekend. His team won 7-1,6-1,3-1 and have beat several others already. I guess those NDL teams are fake AAA teams without AAA players??? This is with some 16 year olds filling in with the 17s lol. Last year their non NDL team finished 9th in the country at 16u AAA They beat numerous top 10 teams including the #1 team. If this crappy league happened two years ago these kids would have had to leave their homes and school at 14 and 15 to play at the level they did last year and this year???? Paying THOUSANDS more???? Horrible for youth hockey players and horrible to try to make a monoply league to compete at that level. Money money money.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:54:47 +0000Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:38:11 +0000One player in ECHL, one in NCAA. Although neither played there until U18, so they didn’t really develop them.Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:25:59 +0000The guys in New Ken are amazing salesmen considering they haven't produced anything in a decade.Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:36:51 +0000You are probably right. Too many guys making a living selling the dream.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:00:56 +0000It isn’t. Phony AAA will still thrive. This league will do nothing to stop money hungry organization, owners and coaches.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:01:31 +0000I guess phony AAA hockey is dead!!!!!Wed, 07 Oct 2026 01:21:39 +0000Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:27:04 +0000It's been talked about and early designs have been reviewed, along with costs. It hasn't progressed beyond that though.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:33:09 +0000Has anything ever come of the talks of RMU adding the on campus rink?Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:12:58 +0000No way a D1 team is going to move to an off campus rink that far awaySat, 03 Oct 2026 05:05:27 +0000Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:08:27 +0000This rumor has been around for years. As someone already said, a third sheet of ice was to be constructed. The rumor I heard was the RMU Division 1 teams would leave the Island Sports Center and use this as their home ice in addition to a USHL team locating there. This was all before Covid so things changed. I don't know how successful a USHL team would be in Pittsburgh. Some of you may remember the Pittsburgh Forge who were in the NAHL from 2001-2003. They were sold and moved to Toledo. They were successful on the ice but I don't remember their game attendance being that great.Fri, 25 Sep 2026 19:00:08 +0000Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:17:54 +0000I'd think the biggest issue would be attendance. Most of the successful USHL franchises are in the middle of nowhere where they are the only show in town. Hard to think with all the other sports teams in the area that they could make it work without someone dumping a lot of funds into keeping the team going.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:58:17 +0000I have not heard anything recently, but I'll recap some of the old highlights on this topic. When the Lemiuex Center was built, there was supposedly some thought that future expansion could include a third sheet with a larger seating section on the North end of the building. That third sheet/stadium bowl would be an attractive draw to a USHL team. I don't know how, if at all, the Wegman's going in on that side of the rink might impact the room to grow. Separately, I'd heard that their was interest/hope/ambition to get the Youngstown team to relocate to Cranberry. Given that the Youngstown team is a Blackbear property (BB bought them in 2018), I don't know if that plan is still viable/attractive.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:36:57 +0000I'm sure it would get plenty of support. I know most of the USHL grumbles about doing events in Pittsburgh, considering Youngstown is the furthest Eastern team in the league, which is maybe why they moved the showcase to Chicago. Extending their reach eastward wouldn't be a bad thing.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:54:22 +0000There’s been some buzz that a USHL team could be coming to Pittsburgh, with the Lemieux Sports Complex potentially playing a role in the plans. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, but the idea of bringing USHL hockey to the Pittsburgh area would definitely be something to watch. Could Pittsburgh be the next USHL market?Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:37:37 +0000Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:27:50 +0000I can remember my son playing in tournaments where he was on the side winning by that number... Most of the problem was that the organizations, and coaches haven't played enough games to really know where their team slotted in, and then they would have parents that would push to get put into a higher tier. Then they would go away to the tournament, get boat raced and blame the tournament directors for "putting them into that division" when every tournament has the team state what division they want to be placed in when they register.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:18:14 +0000Having had bad experiences with Hershey Labor Day tournaments in the past, I look to see if they have gotten any better at placements. Doesn't look like it. Results are at: HERSHEY LABOR DAY SCHEDULE 2026 - Google Sheets One 12U A division team from Hershey, lost their four games with scores of: 20-0; 20-0; 10-0; and 14-0. That's a real shame that the people running that won't make changes mid-tournament. Maybe that team was comped their entry, but that's a miniscule consolation. Doesn't do much for the other teams playing them either.. Local teams saw some success. An Arctic Foxes team won the 18UA; a South Pittsburgh team won the Bantam A; and Beaver County team won Squirt B.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:35:13 +0000Saw a post on facebook Kirk nevin was flooded.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 14:15:14 +0000It has been quiet. PAHL pre-season slotting was released last weekend and for most age-groups, placement games start on 9/12. 10U pre-season slotting will be released then too. I'm wondering if in 12U, the Erie Otters 1 and 2 teams were mixed up somehow. I'd usually expect the 1 team to slot higher than the 2 team. If this was a mistake, given the placement committee's tendency to only move teams up or down 1 division, it could lock these two teams into an ultimate position. Maybe they will consider this, if in fact this was an error.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:32:23 +0000With a new season upon us I'm surprised it's been so quiet on here.Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:59:49 +0000Then I guess they’d have to go to another high school or not play.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:54:02 +0000