Pittsburgh, PA - The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey program will have five of its teams back in exciting action this upcoming weekend, Jan. 13 - 16.

The U13 Bantam Minor Stars will head north to Buffalo for four days of action. They open the road-trip on Thursday, Jan 12, as they face the Buffalo Regals SCTA team at 6:40 p.m. at the Holiday Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga, NY. The U13 Stars then move on to The Prospects Cup Series: Cup - Buffalo AAA for the remainder of the weekend. They open round-robin play in the tournament with a  10:05 a.m. face-off on Friday against the X Hockey Academy at the Harbor Center in Buffalo, NY. Later on Friday, the Stars will face the Canadian-based Mississauga Rebels at Leisure Rinks in West Seneca, NY. On Saturday, Jan 14, the Stars will meet up with the Long Island Royals at 11:55 a.m., back at Leisure Rinks. The Bantam Minor Stars close out round-robin play Saturday night, 9:10 p.m., against the Rochester Jr Americans back at Leisure Rinks. Match-ups, times and rinks for playoff games (quarter-finals, semi-finals and the championship), on Sunday, Jan 15, will take place after round-robin play is completed.

The U14 Stars will welcome the Connecticut Jr Rangers to Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Ice Arena for a pair of Tier 1 Hockey Federation (T1HF) games this upcoming weekend. The two Bantam Major squads will face-off at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and them return to the ice on Sunday, 9:00 a.m., to close out the two-game set.

The U15 Pure Midget Stars will travel to Detroit to participate in the Tier One Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) Detroit Showcase. The Stars open the event on Friday with a pair of games, Anaheim Jr Ducks, 8:00 a.m., and Sioux Falls Stampede, 3:00 p.m. Both games are set for the Dearborn Ice Skating Center (DISC) in Dearborn, MI. On Saturday, the Stars and Belle Tire 15U AAA will square-off at 2:00 p.m. at the Taylor SportsPlex in Taylor, MI. Esmark closes the showcase on Sunday against the Chicago Fury back at the DISC at 12:15 p.m.

Finally, the U16 and U18 Stars will be in Ann Arbor, MI, for their third NAPHL Showcase of the season. The event will be held in conjunction with the 2023 Biosteel All-American Game, featuring top prospects eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.

The U16 Stars open the Ann Arbor Showcase on Saturday, Jan 14, at 9:00 a.m. against CarShield AAA at the Ice Cube Arena, in Ann Arbor. Later on Saturday, the Stars and the Maine Nordiques square-off at 8:00 p.m. at the Ice Cube. On Sunday, Jan 15, Esmark will face the Little Flyers AAA 16U squad at 7:10 p.m. at the USA Hockey Rink in Plymouth, MI. The Midget Minor Stars close the showcase at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, Jan 16, against the New Jersey Jr Titans, back at the Ice Cube Arena. 

The U18 Stars open the Ann Arbor Showcase on Saturday, Jan 14, at 11:00 a.m. against CarShield AAA at the Ice Cube Arena, in Ann Arbor. Later on Saturday, the Stars and Little Flyers AAA square-off at 6:00 p.m. at the Ice Cube. On Sunday, Jan 15, Esmark will face the Maine Nordiques at 3:10 p.m. at the USA Hockey Rink in Plymouth, MI. The Midget Major Stars close the showcase at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, Jan 16, against the New Jersey Jr Titans, back at the Ice Cube Arena.

Both the U11 and U12 Stars will enjoy the weekend off.