WARRENDALE — The numbers are staggering.

The North Pittsburgh Youth Hockey Association has 26 teams, nearly 600 players and 80 coaches.

It draws players from McCandless to Portersville.

And it has no end in sight.

Association president Chris Parry said that the number of players grows by 10 to 15 percent each year.

“Next year, I see us having 30 teams,” he said. “Our feeder system is growing, so our advanced teams will grow with them.”

The North Pittsburgh Wildcats teams play and practice at Warrendale BladeRunners. Each team gets on the ice three times a week — twice for practice during the week, once for games on weekends.

“The popularity of amateur hockey always has a direct correlation to the success of the local NHL team,” Parry said. “The Mario Lemieux era had its impact.

“Now the Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin era is having its impact. Kids are growing up around here wanting to play hockey.

“The biggest problem around Pittsburgh is available ice. Center Ice in Delmont is the only facility in the region with three sheets of ice. I know a third sheet of ice could benefit us on a number of occasions,” Parry added.

While the Wildcats have been around for years, the organization introduced a girls hockey program in 2003. There are now two girls teams — under-14 and under-19 — in the association and about 50 girls are playing.

“We may have six to 10 girls playing on girls and boys teams,” Parry said.

North Pittsburgh’s age range is 5 to 19.

“This organization is big on players getting equal ice time in all game situations,” said Cranberry Township resident Ray Testa, one of the coaches. “We’re about player development first and winning second.

“It’s fun working with young kids because their attitudes are fresh and they have no bad habits to break.”

Board member Kelly Molinari said that the Wildcats have a team available for “the kid who can barely skate up to the kid who wants to play travel hockey.”

Head coaches in the organization become certified by taking classes in Pittsburgh.

Jeff Mitchell, a North Pittsburgh coach living in Mars, used to coach youth baseball until his son became interested in playing hockey.

“We learn from NHL coaches and referees, from veteran youth coaches,” Mitchell said. “We learned tips on safety for the kids, on-ice activities and ideas we can implement in practice.”

Mitchell is in his fourth year as a North Pittsburgh coach and said the number of players “has at least doubled during that time.”

Crosby and the Penguins offer a program titled Little Penguins, which takes aspiring players who qualify financially and outfits them for the game.

“That includes stick, pads, helmet — everything,” Parry said. “That program also benefits the Butler Valley Dawgs and every other youth hockey organization around Pittsburgh.

“The player still has to pay his fees to the association, which covers ice time, but that’s about it. we have roughly 200 kids affected by that program.”

Nearly 50 percent of North Pittsburgh’s players also play high school hockey. Many in the Wildcats’ system also play youth hockey in other organizations.

Mars resident Joe Shimko has two sons, Casten, 12, and Haden, 9, playing for the Wildcats.

“It does take quite a time and financial commitment from the parents, but costs are helped out by buying used equipment,” Shimko said.

North Pittsburgh will have its next set of tryouts in April at Warrendale BladeRunners.

Visit WildcatsHockey.net for details.