The list of accomplishments of Pittsburgh Penguins Elite players continues to grow. Developing top talent and offering players the chance to maximize their potential and advance their hockey careers is the goal of the Pens Elite organization.

Recently, several Pens Elite players were recognized by receiving invites to camps put on by USA Hockey. Each year, the Mid-American District of USA Hockey hosts development camps and invites the top players from the district to participate. This year, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite had a strong presence in the group invited to Kent State University to participate in the camp. The group of 2003s includes over 25 Pens Elite players and the group of 2004s includes over 15 Pens Elite Players.

For players in the 2002 and 2001 age groups, the list of players that were invited to the National Player Development Camp also includes several Pens Elite players. Of the 10 players that were invited from the 2002 age group, 5 play for Pens Elite. Aidan Campbell, Zach Crawley, Dane Dowiak, Cole Oravitz and Alex Servango were the 2002 Pens Elite players that were selected to attend. Dominic Schimizzi also made the invite list for the 2001s. The USA Hockey National Player Development Camp will take place this summer in Amherst, New York.

The recent accomplishments for Pens Elite players doesn’t stop there, however, as several players were selected in Monday’s United States Hockey League (USHL) draft. Goaltender Aidan Campbell, who was also recently drafted in the Ontario Hockey League, was selected with the 36th overall pick in the USHL draft by the Sioux City Musketeers. Later in the draft, a pair of Pens Elite forwards went off the board on back-to-back picks. With the 61st pick, the Sioux Falls Stampede selected Dane Dowiak and immediately after, with the 62nd pick, Cole Oravitz was selected by the Madison Capitols. Alex Servango was also selected in the draft as the Green Bay Gamblers made him their selection with the 89th pick.

 Phase II of the draft also had its fair share of Pens Elite players selected. Matthew Weber was selected by the Fargo Force with the 164th pick. Two Pens Elite alumni were also selected in Phase II. Goaltender Chad Veltri, who last played for the Pens Elite 18U in 2016-17 and played this season with the Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), was selected by the Sioux Falls Stampede with the 61st pick. Veltri has committed to play college hockey at NCAA Division I Niagara University. Roman Kraemer, another member of the 2016-17 18U Pens Elite team was selected by the Youngstown Phantoms with the 89th pick in Phase II after playing a season with the Johnstown Tomahawks of the NAHL.

 The USHL is the top junior hockey league in the United States and is composed on 17 teams which are made up of players between the ages of 16 and 20. Having seven current and former Pens Elite players selected in this year’s draft speaks to the level of talent in the region.

Congratulations to all of the Pens Elite players mentioned for their accomplishments!