Tier 1 Hockey Federation is excited to announce the Pittsburgh Predators as a new member for the 2023-2024 season. The Predators play out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Ice Castle Arena with eight teams including 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 15U, 16U, and 18U. The Pittsburgh Predators are responsible for advancing more than 150 hockey players to Junior A, Major Junior, NCAA Division One and Three, and Professional Hockey, in addition to moving on many more players to various Junior Leagues and Collegiate teams. 

The Pittsburgh Predators are led by some of the top coaches in Pennsylvania including Tyler Murovich, Mason Murovich, Nicholas Kuqali, and Gary Klapkowski. 

Tyler Murovich played for the Predators as a kid with his brother Mason. Tyler then went on to play in the USHL, and OHL for a couple of years before playing in the ECHL and AHL. He is now coaching the 13 and 14U AAA teams for the Predators. He has a youtube channel called IC Hockey where he posts videos, highlight videos, rink updates, and anything related to hockey. 

Mason Murovich played within the NAHL and now coaches and works with his brother. They both play within the ICE 3-on-3 hockey league which was “announced in January 2020. It is a league that sought to capitalize on the kinetic qualities of the NHL’s 3-on-3 overtime format that was adopted in 2015. Initially, the plan was to have eight teams named for different sponsors. That became six teams named for the former NHL players coaching them.” There are different rules than normal hockey games but they love it and are now playing this while helping coach the Predators.

Nicholas Kuqali played at Univ. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for his four years in college and went on to play in the SPHL, ECHL and internationally in Hungary, Austria and Budapest. He is now the coach for the 14U AAA Predators team. 

Gary Klapkowski played within the NAHL, OHL, ECHL and FHL before beginning his coaching career in 2015. He has coached in the NJPHL with the 18U AAA team and now is with the 16 and 18U AAA team.  

The Pittsburgh Predators Hockey Club have had a lot of standout alumni within their program. Examples of those are Tyler Murovich, Matt Bartkowski, Vince Trocheck, John Gibson, Alexander Kuqali, Mason Murovich, Logan Cooley, Thomas Olczyk and Eddie Olczyk

Be sure to follow the Pittsburgh Predators on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Tier 1 Hockey Federation (“THF”) is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-1 Youth Hockey League. The THF provides elite-level competition through an unbalanced schedule among Tier 1 and elite clubs across the U.S. The THF is managed by full-time professional staff and has over 200 elite or AAA teams from 9U-18U. The THF brings together clubs from multiple leagues and states and is the only organization whose members operate franchises in the top junior hockey leagues in the US for NCAA Division I commitments: USHL, NAHL, NCDC, and the top junior hockey leagues for NCAA Division III commitments, the USPHL Premier Division and the Eastern Hockey League.