Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Club have announced their coaching staff for the 2025-2026 season.

At the Midget 18U and 16U levels, the Stars will return their nationally recognized veteran coaching staff.

Dave Kosick will return behind the bench as Head Coach of the Stars 18U AAA Midget Major team. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, the '25-'26 season will be Kosick's 42nd year behind the bench.

He has guided the Stars into three USA Hockey National Championships, multiple Dixon Cup (NAT1HL) Championship appearances and wins and T1HF regular season and post season championships, and accumulated a coaching record (W-L-T-OTL) unrivaled in both the Mid-Am District and USA Hockey.

Likewise, Yuri Krivokhija will return behind the bench as head coach of the Stars 16U AAA Midget Minor team.

A former draft choice of the NHL's Montreal Canadians, and a long-time professional hockey player on both the International, Professional and World Junior and National team stage, Krivokhija will be returning to the Stars as a head coach for his 19th season.

He has previously guided the U16 Stars to a pair of appearances at the USA Hockey National Championships during his coaching tenure.

Similarly, Chris "Sluggo" Stern will be returning as assistant coach for both the 18U AAA Midget Major and the 16U AAA Midget Minor squads.

Stern, who has served as head coach of the Star’s U15 AAA squad for the past three seasons, had previously served as Director of Player Advancement for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program. And this past season, Stern was also named an assistant coach of the Great Britian Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey team.

He has enjoyed success as a coach at every age group of youth hockey, both boys and girls, including winning a USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championship as well as guiding multiple teams to the USA Hockey National Championships, where he also guided teams to a National Championship runner-up finish and three third-place finishes.

Players under Stern's tutelage have gone on to attain success in all levels of hockey ... including NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III, Junior A Hockey and the NHL. He has also served as a scout over the years, working in both the USHL and NAHL Junior A leagues, and he has also served as a coach and evaluator for USA Hockey player development camps and as a presenter at USA Hockey coaching clinics.

Kosick and Krivokhija will also team again to provide assistant coach coverage to both the U18 Midget Major and U16 Midget Minor teams. They, along with Stern, provide a veteran coaching core for the Star’s Midget teams unrivaled in USA Hockey.

Miles Liberati will make the move to U15 AAA Midget Minor head coach for the Stars. Last season, he served as head coach of the Star’s U14 AAA Bantam Major team.

Liberati, a graduate of the Star’s program, would play hockey at the Hill Academy before jumping to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He would also spend time with the North Bay Battalion and Kitchner Rangers in the OHL.

Liberati was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He would spend four seasons in East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), including stints with the Reading Royals, Allen Americans, Indy Fuel, South Carolina Stingrays and Tulsa Oilers before retiring from professional hockey.

Veteran coach Dan Liberati will serve as assistant coach for the U15 Midget Minor Pittsburgh Stars. He served as assistant coach of the U14 Bantam Stars for the ’24-’25 campaign.

At the Bantam levels (U14 and U13), the Stars will welcome returning coach CJ Stellabotte as head coach.

Stellabotte, who will oversee both the Bantam Major and Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars squads, played Junior Hockey for New York Apple Core, Boston Jr Shamrocks, and the Bridgewater Bandits.

He has served as Head Coach of the Pee Wee Stars for several seasons. Additionally, he has overseen the Star’s Non-National Bound age levels, served as a skills director for the Star’s program and helped oversee and coordinate the Star’s Junior and Collegiate Placement efforts.

Joining Stellabotte behind the bench at both Bantam levels this season will be Christian Gorscak.

Gorscak is a graduate of the Stars program who went on to star at the Junior A level, with the Johnstown Tomahawks, where he captured the North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) MVP award for the 2019-20 season. Post Junior Hockey, he would play four seasons of NCAA Division I Hockey at Niagara University.

Administratively, Christine George will return as President of the North Hills Amateur Hockey Association (NHAHA), the organizational name under which the Star’s operate.  She will also continue to serve as Billet Coordinator for the Star’s AAA program.

Kosick, founder, owner and general manager of the Star’s program, will return as General Manager, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the program.

Krivokhija, will return as the Star’s Director of Skill and Training Development, overseeing those activities across the breadth of the Stars AAA program.

Nick Mish, assistant coach of the NAHL Johnstown Tomahawks, will return as the Star’s Goaltending Instructor.

And Stellabotte will continue to serve as the Star’s Junior / Collegiate Development Coordinator, assisting in player movement from the Midget levels to both Junior and Collegiate opportunities.

Additional skills instructors and coaches will be added and identified as the season approaches.

The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey program is the oldest Tier I AAA program in the Mid-American District and one of the oldest in the USA Hockey umbrella.  The Star’s program has provided opportunities for elite level players for the past 40 seasons to compete around the U.S. and around the world ... and will be celebrating their 41st year of operation during the 2025-26 season.

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Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Program, proud members of the Tier I Hockey Federation (T1HF) and the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAT1HL), will return to the ice this upcoming weekend for exciting AAA hockey action as they continue to celebrate the Star's 40th season.

The Star’s U18, U14, and U13 Red teams will all be in Columbus, OH, for the Mid-American District Playoffs, March 6 - 9, 2025.

Winners of the Mid American District Tournament receive automatic bids to the Chipotle USA Hockey National Championships to compete for a National Championship at each respective age group.

The U18 AAA Midget Major Pittsburgh Stars will open their Mid-American U18 Tier I District Tournament on Thursday, March 6, at 3:15 p.m., as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. On Friday, March 7, the Stars Midget Major squad takes to the ice to face the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, at 2:30 p.m. The 18U Stars will close round-robin play on Saturday, March 8, at 4:15 p.m., as they face Culver Academy. The Mid-American District Tier I U18 Championship Game is set for 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 9. All Mid-American District Tier I U18 games will be held at the Chiller North in Lewis Center, OH. The winner of the Tier I U18 MidAmerican District Tournament will advance to the USA Hockey Tier I U18 National Championships, to be held in Pittsburgh, April 1 – 6.

The U14 AAA Bantam Major Pittsburgh Stars will open their Mid-American U14 Tier I District Tournament with a pair of games on Friday, March 7. First up will be an 8:15 a.m. showdown with the Indy Elite U14 squad. Then at 5:10 p.m., the Stars Bantam Major team will take to the ice to face the U14 Ohio Jr Blue Jackets. The 14U Stars will close round-robin play on Saturday, March 8, at 6:15 p.m., as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. The Mid-American District Tier I U14 Championship Game is set for 8:55 a.m. on Sunday, March 9. All Mid-American District Tier I U14 games will be held at the Chiller North in Lewis Center, OH. The winner of the Tier I U14 Mid-American District Tournament will advance to the USA Hockey Tier I U14 National Championships, to be held in Plymouth, MI, April 1 – 6.

The U13 Red AAA Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars will open their Mid-American U13 Tier I District Tournament on Friday, March 7, at 7:10 p.m., against the Pittsburgh Vengeance. Then on Saturday, March 8, the Stars will take to the ice twice. First up will be an 10:00 a.m. showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Then at 7:10 p.m., the Stars Bantam Minor team will close round-robin play against the U13 Pittsburgh Predators. The Mid-American District Tier I U13 Championship Game is set for 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, March 9.  All Mid-American District Tier I U13 games will be held at the Chiller North in Lewis Center, OH. The winner of the Tier I U13 Mid-American District Tournament will advance to the USA Hockey Tier I U13National Championships, to be held in Plymouth, MI, April 1 – 6.

The U13 White AAA Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars will travel to Philadelphia to participate in the Liberty Cup Spring Classic Tournament. On Friday, March 7, the Stars will play the U14 Cranford Hockey Club at 3:10 p.m. Then on Saturday, March 8, the Stars will take to the ice twice. First up will be an 8:20 a.m. showdown with the U14 Brick Hockey Club. Then at 7:10 p.m., the Stars Bantam Minor team will close round-robin play against the U14 Haverford Hawks. All round-robin games will be played at the Oaks Center Ice in Phoenixville, PA. Semi-final and consolation game opponents will be determined after round-robin play. The Tournament Championship game is set for Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m. The Championship game semi-finals and consolation game will be played at the PNY Sports Arena in West Chester, PA.

Scores and results for Pittsburgh Stars teams from the Mid-Am District Playoffs can be found on the Stars webpage (www.pittsburghstarshockey.com).

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Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Program, proud members of the Tier I Hockey Federation (T1HF) and the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAT1HL), will return to the ice this upcoming weekend for exciting AAA hockey action as they continue to celebrate the Star's 40th season.

The Star’s U18, U16, and U13 Red teams will all be in New Jersey for the T1HF Playoffs, Feb 21-23, 2025.

The U18 AAA Midget Major Pittsburgh Stars will kick-off their T1HF Playoffs on Friday, Feb 21, 10:15 a.m., as they Face CP Dynamo. On Saturday, Feb 22, the Stars Midget Major squad hits the ice twice. First up will be the Ohio Prospects at 1:45 p.m. Then the 18U Stars will close round-robin play at 8:30 p.m., as they face the Lincoln Stars. The Semi-finals, 7:15 a.m., and Championship games, 12:15 p.m. will both be conducted on Sunday. All games in the U18 division will be held at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, NJ.

The U16 AAA Midget Major Pittsburgh Stars will kick-off their T1HF Playoffs on Friday, Feb 21, 7:15 p.m., as they face the Mercer Chiefs at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, NJ. Then on Saturday, Feb 22, the Stars Midget Minor squad hits the ice twice. First up will be a showdown with Black Bear Academy at 9:30 a.m. Then the 16U Stars will close round-robin play at 8:30 p.m., as they face the Biggby Coffee. Both Saturday games will be held at Skylands Ice World, in Stockholm, NJ. The 16U Semi-finals will be held at 7:10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb 23 at the SportsCare Arena, in Randolph, NJ. And the U16 Championship game will be held at 1:00 p.m. back at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, NJ.

The U13 Red AAA Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars will kick-off their T1HF Playoffs on Friday, Feb 21, 7:40 p.m., as they face the Mercer Chiefs at the Bridgewater Sports Arena in Bridgewater, NJ. Then on Saturday, Feb 22, the Stars Bantam Minor squad hits the ice twice. First up is a 1:45 p.m. game with the Arrows Hockey U13 squad. Then the 13U Stars close round-robin play at 7:45 p.m. Saturday night, as they face the New Jersey Rockets. Both Saturday games will be held at Skylands Ice World, in Stockholm, NJ. The 13U Semi-finals will be held at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb 23. And the U13 Championship game will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both Sunday games are scheduled at the IceLand Skating Center in Hamilton, NJ.

The U12 Pee Wee Major Pittsburgh Stars, U13 White Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars, U14 Bantam Major Stars, and the U15 Midget Minor Stars will all enjoy a scheduled weekend off.

Scores and results for Pittsburgh Stars teams from the THF Playoffs can be found on the Stars webpage (www.pittsburghstarshockey.com).

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Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Club of the T1ER North American Prospects Hockey League are pleased to announce that 18U defenseman Landon Watson has signed a North American Hockey League (NAHL) tender agreement with the Maryland Black Bears.

The 2024-25 season is Watson’s first season with the Pittsburgh Star’s program and Stars U18 Midget Major squad.

The (6'4" / 195 lbs.) 18-year-old from Pittsburgh, PA, has registered 3 points (3 assists), in 11 NAT1HL appearances so far this season. Overall, this season to date, Watson has tallied 24 points (6 goals, 18 assists), including three power play goals, in 50 games played for the Stars (through Feb. 9).

"Landon is a great pick-up for Philly,” said Pittsburgh Stars 18U head coach Dave Kosick. "He is an outstanding two-way defenseman, who brings a high hockey IQ and skill set to both ends of the ice.”

The Black Bears, who play in the NAHL's ten-team East Division along with the Danbury (CT) Jr Hat Tricks, Elmira (NY) Aviators, Johnston (PA) Tomahawks, Maine Nordiques, New Hampshire Mountain Kings, New Jersey Titans, Northeast (MA) Generals, Philadelphia (NJ) Rebels and Rochester (NY) Junior Americans, play in the Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Piney Orchard, MD, and are led by Head Coach Clint Mylymok.

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Frisco, TX - The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced the T1ER League Peak Performers from the T1ER Central Invitational event in Pittsburgh, PA, and three members of the Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Program were named.

Congratulations to Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey players Ethan Bombalski, U18 defenseman, Nikita Oleksiienko, U16 goaltender, and Joseph Crimboli, U16 forward, as all were honored as T1ER League Peak Performers for the T1ER Central Invitational event in Pittsburgh.

Second year U18 Pittsburgh Stars defenseman Ethan Bombalski had another solid weekend from the blueline, accumulating three points in four games. The Apollo, PA, native kicked off the weekend dishing out an assist to teammate Danila Shiriaev, who banked home the overtime winner as the Stars defeated the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 2-1. Bombalski continued to contribute to the scoresheet during Sunday’s set of games as he and the Stars faced-off with Madison and the Pens Elite. In each game, Bombalski scored a goal, including capitalizing on the power-play to tie the game against the Stars' cross-state rivals. 

"Bomber continues to exceed expectations," offered U18 head coach Dave Kosick. "He brings such a poise and sense of confidence to each and every game, that we often take it for granite. His compete level is off the charts."

The 6'2" U16 Stars' goaltender, Nikita Oleksiienko, improved to 6-2-0-0 in NAT1HL action on the season after securing three additional wins at the Pittsburgh Showcase. He posted "W's" in wins over the Madison Capitols, Biggby Coffee, and Indiana Elite. Over the course of the weekend he grabbed his second consecutive T1ER League Peak Performer - Goaltender honor for the U16 division.  The Pittsburgh Showcase wins did not come easy as Oleksiienko was tested heavily, facing a total of 131 shots and recording 122 saves over the weekend in four performances. His standout performance of the event came against Indiana Elite, where he stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced, allowing just one goal for a .972 save percentage, and leading his team to a 3-1 victory.

"Nikita was a rock," 16U Pittsburgh Stars head coach Yuri Krivokhija said. "He came up big time-and-time agains  and gave us a chance to win."

As the U16 Pittsburgh Stars’ overall leading NAT1HL scorer, Joseph Crimboli continues to be a high impact player, racking up six points in four games at the Showcase. After recording an assist during game one against Madison, the Latrobe, PA native posted his best performance of the season, putting up four points against Biggby. He recorded three of his four points in the second period, scoring Pittsburgh’s fourth goal, assisting on the fifth, and then adding another tally to extend the Stars’ lead to 6-4. He followed up with another assist, capping off a stellar game for his team. Wrapping up the event, Crimboli potted his third goal of the weekend against Indiana Elite. With these six points, the 2008 forward now has 19 points in 12 games, averaging 1.58 points per game.

“Joey worked his backside off," said 16U Pittsburgh Stars head coach Yuri Krivokhija. “His attention to detail and his sweat equity certainly showed at the Showcase. He clearly demonstrated his level of compete at the event."

Players were chosen based on their performances at the Pittsburgh Showcase games that took place from Jan 31 - Feb 2.

NAT1HL "Peak Performers" are selected by the NAT1HL scouting service, following the completion of each event ... top forward, defenseman and goaltender ... at each age level of play at the showcase.

U18 and U16 teams were involved in the T1ER Central Invitational event - Pittsburgh.

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