I have no problem with Pens Elite Excel Prep team... but in few years it will be filled with non local players and unless you pay the freight you will not have any chance to be on the team. Which is fine. These decisions are up to individual families. What's not up to individual families is the Structure of Pgh Hockey. You can argue all you want about AA this and AAA that. Clearly there is need for structure and organization. Saucey, that's the only reason you involve PAHL is for a governing body.
With in our Radius we have teams in basically all the major leagues:
1 NHL, 1 AHL, 1 ECHL, 1 OHL, 2 D1 NCAA, 1 NCAA D3, 1 USHL, 1 NAHL, and countless ACHA teams. Who all would like to get a better look at local talent. The Pens have monopolized that piece currently with USHL fall classic tourney. There are partnerships to be had with these other teams to create something for these kids to advance.
Teams can't enter certain tournaments unless they have a Tier 1 roster and certain teams won't play them unless you have a Tier 1 roster. There is an answer here that will force these local "faux-AAA" orgs to compete to keep their charter or AAA status. Our local product has outgrown the AA + tournament model you propose or more teams would just do that. It's not a bad model and serves those kids well but not what the electorate wants. Pens has no desire to advance local players anymore and Essmark is doing a good job scooping up local talent and moving them but there is more talent here. I have heard the water down argument here too much, but yet these independent teams keep popping up and at times they are able to compete but it doesn't last cause they just simply don;t see the competition enough on a regular basis.
USA hockey needs to step in and force things but they only care about coaching clinics and their $55 dollars for insurance.