PROSPECT — Tyler Kennedy wasn't named after the former Pittsburgh Penguin bearing the same name.

“Pure coincidence,” the 15-year-old Prospect resident said, laughing.

But he sure is emulating him.

A defenseman, Kennedy scored roughly 50 points this past season for the Pittsburgh Icemen, who won the Tier II Pennsylvania state title before getting knocked out in the semifinal round of the USA Hockey Nationals in Florida.

The Icemen posted a 37-18-6 record and surrendered only 2.3 points per game.

“Tyler is a great kid who has a strong work ethic and a commitment to the philosophy of our team,” Icemen coach Mike Fritz said. “We don't rely on any one or two players. We move the puck. We use our speed, puck movement and play-calling.”

Because of that team emphasis, Fritz sent 10 of his players to the Mid-Am Select Camp in Toledo, Ohio, in late April. From there, 60 players are chosen to attend a USA Hockey Development Camp at Kent State University.

“That's 60 out of about 2,000 kids at that Mid-Am,” Fritz emphasized. “Five of those 60 were from our team.”

From the camp at Kent State, 15 players were selected to participate in the U15 USA Hockey National Development Camp July 15-19 in Amherst, NY. Kennedy was one of them.

“They put us through a lot of drills at Kent State,” Kennedy said. “We played 3-on-3 games, small space games,. flow drills with two-on-one and three-on-two breaks. The first two days, we had three different ice times and it got pretty tiring.

“They broke us up into four teams and we played a mini-tournament at the end. My team won it.”

While Kennedy is headed to the national camp — where he will be one of approximately 60 of the top youth players in the nation seen and evaluated by numerous junior hockey and college coaches — Icemen teammates Bekk McClaine of Butler and Michael Fritz of Richland Township were selected to attend the Select U15 USA Festival at Kent State in early August.

The top players not selected for the national camp are invited to the festival.

“USA Hockey does a good job of keeping tabs on as much young talent as possible,” Coach Fritz said. “The Select Festival is part of that process.

“Tyler is an excellent player and he matured physically before Bekk and Michael. That helped get him to the national camp and we're excited for him.”

The Calgary Flames' Johnny Gaudreau, awarded the NHL's Lady Byng Trophy recently, attended the Select Festival when he was 15. He was invited to the national camp the following year.

“That's an example of how it can happen for these kids,” Coach Fritz said.

McClaine, a forward, scored roughly 60 points for the Icemen this past season. Fritz, a defenseman, scored 56.

Kennedy will be going to the national camp from the region representing Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. He will be rooming with a player from another region in a dormitory at the University of Buffalo.

“I consider this a big opportunity for myself,” the 5-foot-10, 160-pound Kennedy said. “I want to play hockey in college and this is a chance to show what I can do.

“I feel like I'm a fast skater and I like to hit. I'm not afraid to hit anybody.”

The Icemen play at the Frozen Pond in Valencia, the facility formerly known as Ice Connection. Coach Fritz is part-owner of the facility, which is undergoing a $500,000 upgrade.

“I'm excited about what our (Icemen) team can do next year,” he said. “We'll still be a U15 team and I think we'll be very good.”

Kennedy even got to meet the former Penguin of the same name.

“I met him at an autograph session after the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009,” he said. “Years later, I worked a Little Pens Camp at our rink and he (Kennedy) made a guest appearance.

“I got to skate with him that day. That was pretty cool.”