CRANBERRY TWP — The Pittsburgh Penguins believe the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex will be unmatched by any other hockey facility in the world, making it a major attraction for the region.

David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins, spoke Friday morning to more than 200 people at the Community Development Corporation of Butler County's annual meeting at the Regional Learning Alliance.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins are really excited about our partnership with Cranberry and UPMC and the building that you see being put up in front of you,” he said of the 185,000-square-foot complex on Route 228 that also is visible from Interstate 79.

The facility is to open in August.

He said with two NHL-size ice rinks, as well as sports medicine and sports training facilities, the complex will serve as far more than a practice rink for the Penguins. It will be a global hub for hockey activity.

Morehouse said the Penguins have a verbal commitment with the NHL to host the league's combine at the facility in two years. The combine is held before the annual NHL Entry Draft to evaluate eligible players from around the world.

He said the organization also is talking to national teams about having training camps and providing other services leading up to the World Cup of Hockey, which is an international ice hockey tournament in off-Olympics years. It is set to return in September 2016 in Toronto after a 12-year hiatus.

While those deals are just in the discussion stage, the facility will host the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, which is Western Pennsylvania's premier amateur hockey organization. Morehouse said the league has about 600 of the most talented players from the region and is expanding.

“Those kids will get the best training in the world,” he said.

As for the complex, Morehouse said, “It will give Cranberry and Butler County a world-class medical facility” and help attract more business to the region.

Morehouse said the same research, testing and training used by the Penguins will be available to the community.

He said the facility will have advanced medical imaging, blood testing, a concussion center, orthopedic services, sports psychology and nutrition services.

“This is going to be, by far, the best facility in the NHL,” he said.