Vincent Trocheck, J.T. Miller, Logan Cooley skating in 'The G.O.A.T League' in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh hockey fans who want to see J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck skating in their hometown are getting their wish.

Just not in Penguins uniforms. At least not yet anyway.

The two Western Pa. bred NHL stars are part of the G.O.A.T. League. It takes place Wednesday nights during the summer at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

The G.O.A.T. League is four teams. It’s a summer workout league made up of current professional players and regional college and junior hockey prospects. Others involved include West Mifflin’s Logan Cooley and Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons.

Cooley is expected to be a top-3 pick in next month’s NHL draft.

Minnesota has a similar summer outlet called “Da Beauty League.” Penguin forwards Jake Guentzel and Teddy Blueger participate in it.

Dan Mayes is the head coach for the Penguins Elite 18U Prep team. He helps run the league in Cranberry. It serves as a way for top-level skaters in the region to stay sharp during the offseason while simultaneously expanding Pittsburgh’s reach as a 12-month-a-year hockey city.

According to Mayes, similar leagues exist in Michigan and the Chicago area as well.

“We wanted an avenue for players of high caliber to do something a little bit more than your typical adult league. And we thought it would be a great way to showcase the past, present and future talent of area players here in Pittsburgh,” Mayes said.

Trocheck (Upper St. Clair) is a free agent who has played for the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. Miller (Coraopolis/East Palestine, Ohio) has one year left on his contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Both have been linked to the Penguins in offseason trade/free agency speculation, depending on what the team does with the contracts of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Mayes is hoping Pine-Richland’s Brandon Saad (St. Louis Blues) and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson (Whitehall) will participate in the league as well.

Mayes said the action is fun to watch.

“This isn’t a lock-down 1-2-2 type of game. It’s 4-on-4. It is pretty wide open. The guys are playing hard. I don’t envy the goalies; I can tell you that,” Mayes said.

Two games are played per week on Wednesday nights during the summer (aside from July 6 following Independence Day) from 5:50-6:50 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. on the Penguins practice ice. The players pay a $250 fee to be part of the league. But fans can attend for free.

“It’s a celebration of these players who have been playing in Pittsburgh their whole lives,” Mayes said. “You’re seeing relationships that have spanned 15-20 years. It’s kind of like a reunion every Wednesday.”

As for Cooley, Mayes said it’s clear he can hang with NHL players skating on the same ice.

“He looks like he fits in … He slows the game down. He thinks it on a different level, on top of the skills that he has. It is apparent when he is with his peers and with people who are at the highest level right now,” Mayes said.

Mayes joined us for Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. We talk about the background of the G.O.A.T League and how other similar projects have worked in different cities. Plus, we get into the growth of grassroots hockey initiatives in Pittsburgh and how players such as Trocheck and Miller help that cause by coming back to play in the summer months. And we get into the latest on the Penguins Elite 18U Prep team.

Listen: Tim Benz talks with Dan Mayes about the G.O.A.T. League at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex