TEAMS

HISTORY

The Pittsburgh Predators Hockey Club was founded in 2000 out of the new Ice Castle Arena in Castle Shannon, PA.

The growth of youth hockey in Western Pennsylvania in the 1990s led to a need for more rinks in the region, and the South Hills was seeing the most growth in the area at the turn of the century.  Ice Castle was originally envisioned to be a second rink for the budding SHAHA organization, but the high demand for more ice and more teams prompted the rink to seek its own PAHL association.  Ice Castle opened in 2000, and the Predators joined the PAHL for the start of the 2001-02 season.

Participation numbers were immediately boosted for the Predators when the Neville Ice Arena encountered multiple issues in 2001.  Central Pittsburgh had already finished the 2000-01 season playing its home games at Ice Castle, and when its South Side facility closed for good in the summer of 2001, many players from Central Pittsburgh joined the new Predators teams.  The Predators have since grown into one of the largest youth hockey organizations in the region, fielding independent Tier 1 teams in addition to their crop of PAHL teams.  The Predators also have an impressive list of alumni, with over 20 former players going on to play in NCAA D1, minor pro, and the NHL.  Those making it to the NHL include Matt Bartkowski, Vince Trocheck, John Gibson, and Logan Cooley.