The impact of generational talents for two generations running is beginning to transform Pittsburgh from the cradle of quarterbacks to an area that is starting to produce genuine hockey players capable of impacting NHL rosters. Beginning with Mario Lemieux, who introduced this football-crazy city to hockey in 1984, and continuing with Sidney Crosby in 2005, the stars have drawn kids to the spate of municipal ice rinks from Hollidaysburg to East Palestine, Ohio.
Some of us even grabbed all of the used equipment that we could from Play It Again Sports and took the ice at the decrepit Golden Mile Ice Rink, with its sloped surface, below-freezing locker rooms, and cheap Sunday morning rink rentals.
It’s no wonder the best to come from the Pittsburgh area are skill players, and they far outnumber the grinders and defensemen. Pittsburgh hockey culture is about the backhand deke through the goalie’s five-hole, far more than defending the front of the net.
As we attempted to create an All-Pittsburgh lineup, filling the center and left-wing spots was easy; we could go three deep. However, since the expansion era, there have only been a couple of right wings and a few defensemen.
And one goalie.
Perhaps in the coming few years, a few more players will begin their hockey journey with the Sidney Crosby Learn to Play initiative that has provided free equipment to thousands of youngsters between the ages of five and nine since its inception in 2008. The program’s first graduate to make it to the NHL was Logan Cooley, the third-overall pick by the Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Hockey Club).
Cooley had an outstanding rookie year, scoring 20 goals and finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting, but he’s just the third-line center in the all-Pittsburgh team.
Also, a statistical oddity highlights Western PA’s hockey contributions and our list. Perhaps the Penguins’ 1992 success, winning their second-consecutive Stanley Cup, had long-term benefits–The 2011 NHL draft class, consisting of players born mostly in 1993, had FOUR Pittsburgh products in the top 64 picks, including one first-rounder and two second-rounders.
“What do you say we take this thing out of on the river and party all summer!” –Phil Bourque in 1991 … and 1992.
Lineup of Best NHL Players From Pittsburgh
Our list includes only players from the post-expansion era. For historical reference, there were a few players from the Original Six era, such as Jesse Spring (1924-1930) and Irwin Boyd (1932-1944), who played 132 and 94 NHL games, respectively.
Goalie: John Gibson
There isn’t a close second if there is a second. Gibson has been a stellar netminder for the Anaheim Ducks. He was part of the 2011 class, taken 39th overall by Anaheim, and made his NHL debut in the 2013-14 season.
Gibson. 31, has appeared in 477 games with a .910 career save percentage and 2.90 goals-against-average. He has become frustrated in recent seasons with Anaheim’s lack of success and ability to ice a competitive team, requesting a trade two seasons ago. However, he remains with Anaheim, fulfilling an eight-year, $51.2 million contract that he signed in August of 2018 and expires on June 30, 2027.
Gibson has finished in the top 10 of Vezina Trophy voting twice (2016, 7th and 2019, 10th) and is a three-time All-Star. He hasn’t appeared in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs since the Ducks were swept in Round One, 2018.
Centers
1. J.T. Miller, C
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound center can skate like the wind and has filled the net for the Vancouver Canucks. Last season, he completed his third straight 30-goal season by potting 37 goals and registering 103 points. His transformation from a middle-six type player with Tampa Bay to a bonafide star with Vancouver has been a major reason for that organization’s turnaround.
Miller, 31, was the New York Rangers’ first-round pick (15th overall) in 2011. He has played 799 NHL games, scoring 238 goals and 639 points, making him the all-time leading scorer among Pittsburgh-area players.
He was born in nearby East Palestine.
2. Vincent Trocheck, C
Not far behind Miller is Pittsburgher Vincent Trocheck, who is also 31 years old and was drafted in the third round (64th overall) in 2011. Trocheck has played in 719 career games, scoring 197 goals with 519 points. Unlike Miller, Trocheck wasn’t blessed with quarterback size (5-foot-10, 187 pounds) but instead relied on good skating, hockey IQ, and some grit to drive his team.
Trockeck is an ideal second-line center on any team but has been a perfect fit with the Rangers since signing as a free agent in 2022.
After a hot start to his career in Florida, when he scored 79 goals over his first three full NHL seasons (2015-2018), Trocheck experienced a several-year dip before a 21-goal uptick with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021. Since then, He has been a key contributor to the Rangers’ resurgence and the 2024 Presidents’ Trophy.
Logan Cooley, C
Before it’s over, Cooley might become the best Pittsburgh talent ever. He’s also on the small side at 5-foot-10, 178 pounds, but his skill set is perfectly suited to the new NHL game. Cooley is a dynamic player who played a year of college hockey at the University of Minnesota, with next-level speed and offensive instincts. He can deke past defenders or slip a pass through traffic that leaves players and fans wondering, “How?”
Cooley put up 20 goals and 44 points in his rookie year for Arizona. Someday, he’ll get to tell future generations he was one of the unlucky to play at the 4800-seat Mullet Arena before the NHL finally relented and facilitated a move to Utah. He finished fifth in Calder voting, including a third-place vote from this writer.
Left Wings
1. Brandon Saad, LW
Saad, 31, was projected to be a first-round pick in 2011 but slid and kept sliding until the Chicago Blackhawks finally snagged him in the second round at No. 43 in that breakout 2011 NHL Draft. Despite his 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame, Saad isn’t a power forward. He’s just a scorer with a resume of six 20-goal seasons and one 30-goal campaign (2015-16). Last season with the St. Louis Blues, Saad racked up 26 goals and 42 points in 82 games.
The gifted winger played his junior hockey with the Saginaw Spirit, and the Hockey Hall of Fame has twice etched his name on the Stanley Cup (Chicago 2013, 2015).
In 863 career games, Saad has netted 253 goals and 499 points.
2. R.J. Umberger, LW
Umberger played high school hockey for Plum before attending Ohio State. Despite being a 2001 first-round draft pick by Vancouver (16th overall), he spent the entirety of his career in the Metro Division for the hated Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. He never played for the Penguins before injuries guided him into retirement in 2016.
Umberger used his pending college free agency to his advantage. He left Ohio State before his senior season but didn’t sign with Vancouver, instead sitting out the 2003-04 season. Vancouver eventually traded him to the Rangers, but he didn’t sign there, either.
Umberger signed with Philadelphia and, after one season in the AHL, lit up the NHL in 2005-06. He played 73 games in his rookie season, scoring 20 goals and 38 points. The large, gritty winger, who was 6 feet 2 inches and 218 pounds, had a run of four straight 20-goal seasons from 2008 to 2012 with Columbus.
In fairness, he’s probably still 6-foot-2. Overall, he scored 180 goals and 392 points in 779 games.
3. Ryan Malone, LW
Bugsy.
He was one of the few bright spots of the horrid Pittsburgh Penguins teams known as “Generation Next,” which was the hopeful but obviously incorrect marketing slogan from 2002 to the NHL lockout in 2004.
Malone was a power forward with size (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) who spent four seasons at St. Cloud State and went almost straight to the NHL. He played three games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the end of the 2002-03 season before notching 81 NHL games as a rookie in 2003-04.
Like Cooley, Malone finished fifth in Calder Trophy voting. Writers also named him to the All-Rookie team.
Malone, the son of long-time Penguins scouting director Greg Malone (who also played for the Penguins from 1976 to 1983), became a vital cog in the Penguins’ resurgence. Often playing on the second line with a then 21-year-old Evgeni Malkin, he helped the revitalized Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008.
After the 2008 season, Malone signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was not part of the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup victory. In fact, his Tampa Bay teams made the playoffs only twice (2010 and 2014), but Malone was unavailable for the 2014 playoff run.
Malone played just 30 games in 2014-15, six for the Rangers and 24 for the Hartford Wolfpack, before retiring at 36 years old. After overcoming personal issues, he made a short 12-game comeback to play with the Iowa Barnstormers of the AHL in 2017-18.
The affable winger scored 179 goals with 370 points in 679 NHL games.
Right Wing
Here’s where it gets tricky. There just aren’t many RWs from Pittsburgh.
1. Bill Thomas
Thomas was the definition of a grinder in his 13-year professional career. He played in just 87 NHL games beginning in 2005-06, scoring 16 goals split between the Arizona Coyotes, Penguins, and Florida Panthers. Overall, he played more games in the AHL than in the NHL. Thomas spent the final five years of his career from 2013 to 2018 overseas, with a couple of KHL seasons, one each in Sweden, Austria, Finland, and Germany.
2. George Parros
Parros had one job as an NHL player, and he knew how to do it well. He was born in Washington, PA, and he could fight.
The 6-foot-5, 228-pound enforcer matriculated at Princeton before setting aside his education to set aside those who ran afoul of his team’s star players. After two seasons in the AHL, Parros made his NHL debut with the LA Kings in 2005-6, playing 55 games and fighting an incredible 18 times.
He played just 32 games the following season, two for Colorado and 30 for eventual Stanley Cup-winner Anaheim. In just 32 games, Parros again fought 18 times.
He settled in with Anaheim, playing more than 60 games and fighting 23 times in each of the next two seasons. He played nine NHL seasons, amassing 474 games, 18 goals, and 1092 penalty minutes.
If we’re building an All-Pittsburgh lineup, he’s got the toughness covered.
Currently, Parros heads the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Bench: Sam Lafferty
Lafferty is from nearby Hollidaysburg, which is just off Rt. 22 between Pittsburgh and Altoona. He made his NHL debut with the Penguins in Oct. 2019. He played four seasons at Brown and is currently carving a nice career as an energetic bottom-six LW, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Defense
Surprisingly, we won’t find any offensive defensemen among the group, nor any All-Stars. Pittsburgh is about offense.
1. Matt Bartkowski
The Mt. Lebanon native played in the USHL and beat the odds as the Florida Panthers’ seventh-round pick (190th overall) in 2008. He established a solid 13-year professional career, playing 256 NHL games and 494 AHL games, including 72 for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Bartkowski never played for the Pittsburgh Penguins but made his NHL debut in the 2010-11 NHL season with the Boston Bruins. He played for Boston, Vancouver (2015-16), the Calgary Flames (2016-2018), and the Minnesota Wild (2018-2021), finishing his career with three AHL seasons (Iowa, WBS, Rochester). He scored eight career NHL goals with 40 assists.
2. Stephen Johns
A talented depth defenseman whose career was cut short by concussions. The Ellwood City Native was Bryan Rust’s teammate at Notre Dame from 2010-2013 (Johns also played at Notre Dame in 2013-14).
He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 with the Dallas Stars and played 14 games. He played full NHL campaigns in the following two seasons, appearing in 61 and 75 games, respectively. Johns sat out 2018-19 and returned late season in 2020, just before the pandemic.
He played in 17 NHL more games and two AHL games in his final season.
In 167 games, he scored 15 goals with 33 points. However, his greatest contributions came in 2021 after his career was over. Battling depression and post-concussion symptoms, he rollerbladed across the country to raise awareness for mental health struggles.
3. Mike Weber
The “grizzled veteran” of the Pittsburgh group played 351 games, mostly with the Buffalo Sabres but 10 with the Washington Capitals.
Weber was a solid lineup addition who didn’t shuttle back and forth to the AHL but played more than 60 games just twice in his career. He finished with nine goals and 53 points.
4. Bob Beers
Rounding off our top four, Beers was well-traveled in his 11-year professional career. He had two stints with the Boston Bruins and played for Tampa Bay, the Edmonton Oilers, and the New York Islanders between 1989 and 2000.
In the end, he played 258 NHL games with 28 goals and 107 points.
