Rinkshrink01

I have read the Article and other like it and agree with you on many topics here. My point is that good local players will continue to get left behind with no chance to advance. You are correct Pens and Essmark rosters have local talent on them currently but as I stated earlier the Pens rosters are going to get filled up with imports in the not so distant future. Essmark has a history of importing talent at 16u/18u to compete on the National stage. Evidenced by the fact that a few of their imports have played in World Juniors and Under 18 tourneys. Not sure what good them playing local high school hockey is but that Your point about the 05 Essmark team is spot on. My point was how do we fix that? and get these kids the proper development they need with in our current structure? left alone those types of teams will continue to be put out there and when you are on the wrong end of a beating like that only one thing happens. One team learns to hate hockey!!!! Not what we are after here.

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.

I have been around Pgh hockey for most of my adult life... seen players make it and advance on and have success at the next levels... Sam Lafferty out of Mid state is the latest example that we can produce talent locally. How many more Sam Lafferty's are out there that never make it because Pgh hockey is broken and people don't want to send their kids away when they are 15&16. Here is what is wrong with Pgh hockey and how to fix it... first a couple of facts: 1. Pens Elite has no interest in promoting local players only paying for their practice facility and having a place for pens and friends to play. So they should be totally left out of any discussion moving forward. In two years there will be basically no local players on their Elite team rosters. The Excel academy prep team is happening and nothing will stop it and many who post on this forum will fall for the sales pitch to help get it off the ground. 2. Essmark is the only other AAA org that has a proven track record of advancing players on a consistent basis. The 16u / 18u teams remain the best AAA option for local players. 3. Parents and players want this level of hockey locally and we have the players to support it. Which is clearly evident with the number of independent teams floating around here and in spurts they compete with top side teams but proven unable to do it consistently. 4. Local hockey administration is Joke and is holding onto the past structure either because they just simply don't know or are reluctant to change because they fear for their job and or income stream. 5. We have a shortage of ice locally to support the numbers of player playing and the structure needed. There is nothing wrong with players and parents seeking out a more competitive level of play and paying the money to play it if they so choose. People want to play AAA hockey and travel to showcase tournaments in the US and Canada. I am tiered of hearing how great Pgh AA hockey would be if these players just played PAHL. Fact is this isn't going away and if it continues to evolve with no direction or structure the kids will be suffering and not having legitimate opportunities to advance to whatever level they want to advance to. I would also argue that local hockey parents have little or no knowledge about how the structure of hockey works and how players advance. Many of them still think D1 scholarships are available via the high school route (like football). The kids all know the deal but man y of these parents revert to what they know and are delusional about their childs future. In my opinion here is the problem with Pgh hockey: We have no outlet to give teams that want a Tier 1 roster a reasonable path to get it... and when they get it they are forming a schedule from scratch and have trouble getting the right games. So many of these teams are playing subpar schedules and the kids are bouncing from team to team as they keep getting disappointed by schedule, coaching, team selection... you name it and many of you have elaborated all these reasons in previous threads... no need to rehash here. It's time for PAHL / USA hockey to support AAA hockey at 15u and up levels for those teams that want to play at the level and end this independent nonsense. Do split season and if a team is over their head move them back to AA and make the second half of the season competitive for the players. Maybe it includes teams in Ohio and southern NY. If it is viable they may elect to play in it. Also, run the schedule like a tournament weekends so these teams can travel to tournaments and minimize the ice usage across the board. Make these teams preform to keep their Tier 1 roster. Have a committee of people who know something about hockey make these decisions either from playing or coaching experience, not a team of grandma's and hockey Dad's who have never played or stepped behind a bench above Pee Wee. It will take a few years to get this model right but it is time for local hockey management to take their head out of the sand and recognize what is happening here. I would bet if the Essmark parents had a viable option to play more locally and not travel to Minnesota as much they would explore it. When the Pens jumped in with their proposal a few years ago it was designed to enhance their position and we all are seeing the results of that. Local hockey and players will continue to suffer if no adults step up to fix it.