Proud to be the off-ice and strength & conditioning partner to the Esmark Stars AAA program!

Pittsburgh, PA - Tryout dates for the Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club Tier I teams for the 2018-19 season have been announced.

As the oldest Tier I AAA program in the Mid-American District (founded in 1984 and continuously providing opportunities for elite amateur hockey players for over 33 years), the Esmark Stars AAA Hockey program offers:

* Nationally recognized program;
* Nationally recognized elite-level coaching staff;
* One team at each birth-year level;
* 2 - 3 practices per week;
* Comprehensive off-ice testing and instruction, including use of a full service gym at the rink
* Members of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) - Midget 18U, 16U and 15U;
* Participate in high-end national tournaments, selected to best showcase elite athletes;
* Great schedule (mix of league, tournament and home and home series) with elite AAA opponents from across the US and Canada
* Affiliated with the Johnstown Tomahawks of the NAHL;
* Past players have gone on to play hockey at every level, including (NHL, OHL, AHL, IHL, USHL, NAHL, NCAA Div. I & III, ACHA, Div. I & III).

All tryouts will be conducted at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, PA.

For additional tryout information or to be added to the Esmark Stars mailing list, please forward a request "to be added to our mailing list" to Dave Kosick (dwk@thekmagroup.com).

We look forward to seeing all interested players at our tryout sessions and encourage all to "Shoot for the Stars!"

Esmark Stars AAA Hockey

2018 – 2019 Tryout Schedule

Pee Wee 11U AAA - (2007 Birth Year)

Completed

Pee Wee 12U AAA - (2006 Birth Year)

Completed (Additional Skates will be publicized)

Bantam 13 AAA - (2005 Birth Year)

April 18, 2018 – 6:30 – 7:35 p.m., (2004 / 2005)

Bantam 14U AAA - (2004 Birth Year)

April 18, 2018 – 7:45 – 8:50 p.m., (2004 / 2005)

Midget 15U AAA - (2003 Birth Year)

Completed

Midget 16U AAA - (2002 & 2003 Birth Years)

Completed

Midget 18U AAA - (2000 - 2003 Birth Years)

Completed

The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club is pleased to announce their head coaches for the 2018-2019 season.

18U AAA - Dave Kosick / Yuri Krivokhija
16U AAA - Yuri Krivokhija
15U AAA - Derik Gaworski / Dalton Moore
      Skills Director - Yuri Krivokhija
14U AAA - Mike Heltman / Eric Tisdale
13U AAA - Luke Kopchak / Eric Tisdale
12U AAA - TBD

In addition, Yuri Krivokhija will oversee skills training as the "Skills Coordinator" for Esmark Stars AAA Hockey. He will focus these efforts on development and skills training for the U12, U13, U14 and U15 Esmark AAA teams ... in addition to his work with the U16 and U18 squads.

Skills Director - (U12, U13, U14, U15) - Yuri Krivokhija

The North Hills Amateur Hockey Association (NHAHA), parent organization of Pittsburgh Viper Hockey and Esmark Stars AAA Hockey, has unveiled a new initiative designed to establish a new high-level Tier II select hockey program that will bridge the gap between elite Tier I (AAA) travel hockey and house / rec hockey.

The new program will revise a name, Pittsburgh Viper Stars, that had previously been associated with the organization’s Tier I (AAA) teams.  The Viper Stars name was converted to its current name, Esmark Stars AAA Hockey, five years ago.

“The naming convention was easy,” said NHAHA President, Heather Ruffner, “we envision this program, that while filling a void between our two existing programs … Vipers and Stars, will also create a new and unique opportunity to the western Pennsylvania market.”

The Pittsburgh Viper Stars will be a Tier II (AA) select program that provide a fun, healthy and competitive atmosphere in which players can strive to be their best, mixed with a high-end training regimen usually reserved for Tier I AAA programs.  As defined, the two main goals of the program will be to develop elite athletes who play hockey at the Tier II level, as well as to compete for National Championships at age appropriate Tier II levels, recognized by USA Hockey.

The Viper Stars program will offer a training program mirrored on the Esmark Tier I program, including training opportunities, both on and off the ice, currently not provided to most Tier II players and programs.

“We look to achieve these goals by providing experienced coaching … both game and skills coaches … innovative training, and a quality practice-to-game ratio,” Ruffner added.

And like both Pittsburgh Viper Hockey and Esmark Stars AAA Hockey programs, the new Pittsburgh Viper Stars program will call the Pittsburgh Ice Arena home.

The Viper Stars teams are scheduled to participate in the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League (PAHL), as well as a play an independent travel schedule.

Teams will be selected from a try-out process that will begin with the open tryouts for the Tier I Esmark Stars.  To register for tryouts for the Pittsburgh Viper Stars, prospective players will need to register at (www.esmarkstars.com).

For additional information on the new Pittsburgh Viper Stars program or Pittsburgh Viper Hockey program, please visit (www.pittsburghvipers.com).

Teams Offered for 2018 - 2019 Season:

• Squirt Major (2008)
• Peewee Minor (2007)
• Peewee Major (2006)
• Bantam Minor (2005)
• National Bound Teams
•      U-14 National Bound (2004)
•      U-16 National Bound (2003 & 2002)
•      U-18 National Bound (2001 & 2000)

Pittsburgh Viper Stars AA Hockey

2018 – 2019 Tryout Schedule

Squirt 10U AA - (2008 Birth Year)

Completed

Pee Wee 11U AA - (2007 Birth Year)

Completed

Pee Wee 12U AA - (2006 Birth Year)

Completed

Bantam 13 AA - (2005 Birth Year)

April 18, 2018 – 6:30 – 7:35 p.m., (2005)

Bantam 14U AA - (2004 Birth Year)

April 18, 2018 – 7:45 – 8:50 p.m., (2004)

Midget 15U AA - (2003 Birth Year)

Completed

Midget 16U AA - (2002 & 2003 Birth Years)

Completed

Midget 18U AA - (2000 - 2003 Birth Years)

Completed

Supplemental tryout dates will be posted following assigned tryout schedule dates.

Know a family interested in opening their house to a travel hockey player billet for the upcoming 2018-2019 season?

The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club is seeking families interested in serving as billet families. Families, both from within and outside of the Esmark Stars and Pittsburgh Viper Hockey Organization, are encouraged to participate.

If your family would be interested in participating or if you have any questions, please contact Tara Gorscak @ (724) 689-9911.

Tier I AAA teams interested in scheduling games with the Esmark Stars teams (Midget 18U, Midget 16U, Midget 15U, Bantam Major 2004, Bantam Minor 2005, and Pee Wee) should contact Dave Kosick, General Manager Esmark Stars AAA Hockey.

The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club is now accepting applications for assistant coaching positions for the 2018-2019 season.

The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club will consist of seven (7) Tier I AAA teams for the 2018-2019 season offering teams at the '07, ’06, ’05 and ’04 birth years along with a 15U, 16U, and 18U team. 

The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club is a national and internationally recognized club that provides elite level training and development.  The club provides Tier I hockey players exposure on a regional, national and international level mixed with on- and off-ice training designed to allow each player to maximize their potential ... all while providing constructive lessons that allow them to excel in life.

If you are interested in joining the coaching ranks of the Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club, please click on link below and complete the form.

If you have any questions please contact Dave Kosick at dwk@thekmagroup.com.

We appreciate your interest in joining the Esmark Stars AAA Club and helping our players ... Shoot for the Stars!

Two former members of the Esmark Stars AAA program were among four players from Lebanon Valley College Dutchman that were named to the  2017-18 All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Teams, as chosen by the league's coaches.

Forward Cole Hepler and goaltender Tyler Perhac each garnered Second-Team recognition for the league’s inaugural All-League Teams.

Hepler picked up 20 points this season, and was fourth on the team in goals, with nine, and fifth on the squad in assists, with 11.  He netted four goals on the man-advantage, and led LVC with three short-handed goals, including two in LVC's outdoor game against Chatham last month. The assistant captain also registered two game-winning goals on the year.

Perhac enjoyed a breakout season in 2017-18, going 6-3-1 and recording one shutout. The sophomore allowed just 2.62 goals per game and had a saves percentage of .913. His lone shutout of the season came at the Dutchmen Outdoor Classic where he stopped all 16 shots he faced against Chatham.

The Esmark Stars, proud members of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL), are pleased to announce that former Esmark Stars defenseman Carter Ekberg has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the Air Force Falcons of Atlantic Hockey.

Ekberg played two seasons of 16U, Pittsburgh Viper Stars (2012-13) and the Esmark Stars (2013-14), and then one season, his senior year, with Esmark (2014-15), during which he registered 23 points in 24 NAPHL games.  He signed a tender with the Janesville Jets of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) during his 18U season. 

A McMurray, PA, native, Ekberg (180 lbs., 6’1") has played for the Jets for parts of four seasons.  In 84 career NAHL games, all with Janesville, Ekberg has totaled 32 points.

Ekberg is the first Jets defenseman this season to earn his NCAA commitment.

“I’m extremely excited to commit to Air Force,” said Ekberg. “This year has been huge for me, becoming a leader on the team and having more chances to play and make big impacts on every game. It’s had a huge impact on my confidence.”

Ekberg joins forwards Kip Hoffmann (Robert Morris) and T.J. Polglaze (Michigan Tech) as 1997-born Jets veterans to earn their commitment this season.

“This year Carter has taken a huge step and evolved into a complete, two-way guy on the back end,” said assistant coach Corey Leivermann, who works with the team’s defensemen. “As the ‘D’ coach, he’s meant everything to me and to our group. When he’s healthy I lean on him heavily because I know he consistently gives us what we need in all situations. Whether it’s the power play, penalty kill, five-on-five, the first minute of a period, the last minute of a period, overtime, it doesn’t matter ... Carter Ekberg is our guy.”

"I think Carter realizes this day came to be because of a huge investment of blood, tears and sweat," said his U18 Esmark head coach Dave Kosick.  "He is an extremely bright and skilled young man who will be a great addition to the Air Force Academy."

“As a young, developing guy, you sit out games, holding clipboards, battling to earn your spot every day. There are a lot of stories like that in this league with older guys getting commitments at the ends of their junior careers. I’m definitely not the first,” said Ekberg.

Ekberg’s junior career began in March of 2015 with two games as an affiliate player of the Jets. He started the following season with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, suiting up for two games before rejoining to the Jets again in October.

Ekberg played 22 games with the Jets before getting another crack at the USHL with a call from the Youngstown Phantoms in February.  He again returned to the Jets for the 2016-17 campaign with the Jets.

This season, Ekberg tops Janesville's blueliners in scoring with four goals and 18 total points, playing most of the season on the Jet's top pair.

“As a kid coming out of that Esmark Stars program, the first thing you noticed about Carter’s game was his mobility,” said former Jets head coach Joe Dibble, who brought Ekberg to the Jets and coached him for two seasons. 

Dibble said he’s seen Ekberg take important strides both mentally and physically.

“He’s always been an elite skater who plays with his head up and has the skill to make plays, but I was especially impressed with his development this year.  Last summer I think he really dedicated himself to becoming a college athlete. He worked on his strength and you see him now stronger on the puck, stronger in the corners, stronger in front of his own net,"  Dibble said.

"He’s always been a confident skater and playmaker, but now you see that confidence defensively and without the puck. He’s a complete defenseman who’s ready to become a student athlete at the Division I level," he added.

The Falcons play at the nearly 2,500-seat Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, CO.  Head coach Frank Serratore has held the reigns since 1997, and last season joined a group of just 22 with his 400th career NCAA Division I win.

“The coaching staff was definitely one of the biggest reasons for choosing Air Force,” said Ekberg.  “A bunch of them are alumni, or they played D-1, or they played pro, so they know what they’re talking about.  They’re all great, knowledgeable people who made me feel super welcome and wanted there, which was important to me. I can’t say enough good things about that staff.”

To Leivermann, it’s an especially great fit for Ekberg as a student and as a person.

“That’s an amazing academic school out there in Colorado,” he said. “That works well for a smart kid like Ekberg. He’ll get good academics, he’ll get to play good hockey, and they do a great job helping their alumni find careers after their playing days, too.”

Air Force recorded five NCAA tournament appearances from 2007 through 2012, missing just once in 2010. Last spring, the Falcons qualified again, breaking a four-year drought. Their offense includes attacking defensemen, said Ekberg, which was a major reason in choosing the school.

“They like to get their ‘D’ involved in the offense,” Ekberg said. “Coach Serratore told me they try to activate them through the zones, which is a good fit for me. I like to take my chances when I see fit, and that’s something they’re big on. It’s a good opportunity for me to be an offensive guy on the back end.”

With his NCAA D-I commitment secured, Ekberg said he feels even more ready for a long playoff run with the Jets.

The Esmark Stars are pleased to announce that former Esmark goaltender Jake Kucharski  has been recognized as the number 5 North American goaltender in the NHL Central Scouting midseason rankings of 2018 draft-eligible players.

The NHL will release its final rankings in April.  The Dallas Stars will host the 2018 NHL Draft at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The Draft will be held over two days, June 22-23, 2018.

Kucharski was previously recognized by the NHL's ‘November Prospects to Watch’ list for 2018 draft-eligible players and the release of NHL Central Scouting's "players to watch in North America and Europe." 

Kucharski, who skated for the 16U Esmark Stars during the 2015-16 season, was one of three former NAPHL alumni recognized by the NHL's November Prospects to Watch’ list.

This continues the recent trend of NAPHL alumni garnering recognition by NHL teams. Earlier last summer, two former players, Jeremy Swayman and Cole Hults, were selected in the 2017 NHL Draft.  During the past five NHL Drafts a total of 23 NAPHL alumni have been selected.

Kucharski, who is currently skating for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL, manned the nets for the NAHL's Austin Bruins during the 2016-17 season.

Earlier this season, in September, Kucharski, a 6'4", 205-pound 18 year-old netminder, was selected, along with 41 other American-born NHL draft-eligible players, to participate in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

The NHL Central Scouting list, comprised of "A," "B" and "C" players for the upcoming season in each of the major junior hockey leagues, are sent to NHL team scouts for the purpose of tracking the top draft-eligible players entering the 2017-18 season.  All "A" skaters have been identified as potential first-round picks, while "B" players are considered second- or third-round candidates. The players on the "C" list are thought to be fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round possibilities. Central Scouting's preliminary rankings were revealed in November. That list included the top 25 prospects for each of the various leagues throughout North America and Europe.

Kucharski’s plan moving forward will take him from Des Moines, to Providence, Rhode Island, next fall, where he will be a member of NCAA Division I Providence College’s 2018-19 freshman class.

But he would appreciate taking a detour through Dallas in June. “I always believed I could (get drafted), and always thought it would be awesome if I could,” he said. “To have made it to this point is a big accomplishment. But I know I’ve got a ways to go if I want to fulfill the ultimate goal.”

By Steve Stein

Former Esmark Stars player Matt Amelio has a great sense of humor.  That's a big reason why he's so popular with his teammates on the Vermont Lumberjacks team in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL).

"The guys enjoy playing with Matt," said Lumberjack';s head coach Jim Mosso.  "He's the glue in our locker room and the center of our team, a real character guy."

Amelio doesn't mind being a character at times - and a leader all the time.

"I like to keep the guys loose," he said.  "You're not going to play well if you're uptight.  Because I am one of the older guys on the team, I also feel it's important to show them the ropes."

Amelia is dead serious about an important part of his hockey life.  Now in his final season of junior eligibility, he wants to continue his hockey career at a Division III college.

"Anywhere," he said.  "I don't have a timeline for making a decision.  I'll know when it's the right place.  I love hockey.  I've been playing since I was five and I want to keep playing."

Amelio has had some club team offers, but the goal for the 5-foot-8-inch, 185-pound forward is to land at a D-3 school.

"We've gotten some calls from D-3 coaches," Mosso said.  "Any college team would be happy to have Matt in their locker room and his playing style will make him successful in the college game.  Playing D-3 is Matt's hope and dream."

This is Amelio's second season with Lumberjacks' Premier Division team and he has made an impression on Motto.

"Matt is the full package as a player," Mosso said.  "He's fast and strong, a good scorer, a real offensive threat.  He also takes care of his responsibilities on the defensive end."

Amelio takes his defensive role seriously.

"You need to play solid defense to create offense," he said.  "I understand the importance of protecting your zone.  I'll do whatever needs to be done to help my team."

Amelio has a team-leading 20 goals along with 26 assists through 33 games this season.  His 46 points rank second on the Lumberjacks team.

The Venetia, PA, native, who skated for the U18 Esmark Stars during the 2014-15 & 2015 seasons, has four power play goals, four power play assists, and two game-winning goals on his stat sheet this season.

"I've adjusted to the pace of the game (in the Premier Division), and I'm stronger than I was last year," Amelio said.

Amelio's output was a big reason why the Lumberjacks were doing well at the holiday break.  They currently sit in first-place in the North Conference at 26-6-0-1 for 53 points.