BUTLER TWP — Todd Simko never stepped foot on the ice.

It seems he can’t get his son off it.

Brody Simko, a sixth-grader at Butler Middle School, is a left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins 2004 Elite hockey team. He has been playing hockey since age 4.

“The first time he took the ice, he probably fell 1,000 times,” Brody’s father said. “But he kept getting back up.

“We put him in a Learn to Skate program. He first played for the Butler Valley Dawgs.”

Now he’s the only Butler County player on the Penguins 2004 Elite team, which is headed to Quebec in a few days for the Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament. The Pens Elite team practices and plays at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township.

Brody moved from the Butler Valley Dawgs to the Steel City Ice Renegades program in Harmarville. That team wound up being ranked 20th in the nation.

“A bunch of us decided to try out for the Penguins Elite,” Brody said. “Some of us made it, some of us didn’t.”

Brody is now in his third season with the Penguins Elite program, which begins its season around Labor Day and doesn’t end it until late March.

“As he got older and got better, we wanted Brody to play at the highest level he could compete with,” Simko said.

The Penguins 2004 Elite team keeps 15 players. More than 100 try out for the squad annually.

“We have players from all over,” 2004 Elite coach Graham Harkins said. “We have guys from Greensburg, Robinson Township, Upper St. Clair, North Allegheny ... These kids are together so much, this is almost like their second family.”

The team travels to tournaments on weekends and practices Tuesday through Thursday. A typical season consists of 60 games or more.

The Penguins 2004 Elite team is 29-14-7 so far this season. Brody has scored more than 25 goals, including close to 10 in his last 10 games.

“He’s been on a tear lately,” Harkins said. “Brody has a lot of skills — great hands and a good shot. He’s working on improving his skating.

“He is a smart player who knows how to get in position to score.”

Brody said his goal is to get faster on the ice.

“I’m working on my acceleration,” he said. “I’ve taken skating lessons and Coach gives us all individual workouts to do on our own to work on our weaknesses.”

Harkins admitted that “the commitment level is very demanding here.”

The Penguins 2004 Elite team is ranked No. 9 in the country. The team has participated in tournaments in Toronto, Detroit, Buffalo, at Notre Dame and Washington D.C.

The parents foot the bill for these trips, though the Pittsburgh Penguins are contributing $25,000 toward the cost of the Quebec trip — which will provide the toughest competition yet.

Now in its 57th year, the Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament will feature 2,200 of the best young hockey players in the world. Teams will be there from 15 countries and more than 200,000 fans will view the event.

“Our first game will be against the Czech Knights from the Czech Republic,” Harkins said. “We’re playing a Crosby Cup team from Halifax, Sidney’s hometown. We’ll play a team from Zurich and the Montreal Junior Canadiens.

“This will be an extremely challenging event.”

Harkins added that nearly 300 NHL players once participated in this tournament during their developmental years.

The team will be in Quebec from Feb. 6-19. Its players will stay with various Quebec families for a week during that time.

“We’re going to learn about their culture and what their kids do up there,” Brody said. “I’m excited about the whole thing.”

“This isn’t just about hockey. Its an educational experience as well,” Harkins said.

Like most kids, Brody Simko has lofty dreams when it comes to hockey.

“I’d love to play it in college and maybe get to the NHL,” he said. “I never get tired of it, I can say that.”