Three years ago, Mike Weber decided to do something for himself.

The Cranberry Township resident was a defenseman for the Pittsburgh Junior B Penguins and, at age 15, was drafted by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.

Accepting that offer meant moving to Canada, living with a host family, being away from his family and uprooting his life — all for the sake of hockey.

“Sometimes you have to be a little selfish,” Weber said.

After his freshman year at Seneca Valley High School, Weber headed north.

Now 18, he may soon be headed for the National Hockey League.

Weber is one of 40 amateur players in Canada — covering the OHL, Quebec Major Junior League and Western Hockey League — selected to play in Wednesday night’s CHL-NHL Top Prospects Game at the Corel Centre, home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

All 40 are eligible for this summer’s NHL draft.

More than 300 players are eligible to be selected for this game. In the Prospect Game’s past 10 years, only three of its players failed to get drafted by an NHL team.

“I was almost numb when I heard I was selected,” Weber said. “Anyone’s lucky to get an opportunity like this.”

All 40 players were selected by scouts from the 30 NHL teams. Scouts from every NHL team will be attending the game.

The 6-foot-2, 199-pound Weber has five goals, 15 assists and a team-leading 125 penalty minutes in 44 games this season.

“I’m a defensive defenseman and I try to take care of my own end first,” he said. “I like to throw big hits out there.”

He doesn’t like to start fights. He won’t back away from them, either.

“I don’t go looking for them, but sometimes they happen,” Weber said of hockey fights. “You can’t shy away from them. They’re part of the game.”

Spitfires coach D.J. Smith said Weber’s play in the OHL playoffs last year upped his value to NHL scouts.

Windsor faced the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and 34-goal scorer Jeff Carter — now with the Philadelphia Flyers — in the playoffs.

“Carter’s line didn’t do a thing against him,” Smith said of Weber. “Mike was on the ice against the opponent’s top line throughout the playoffs and shut them down.

“That got him on the radar. When he stayed up here all summer to work on his game, that impressed the scouts as well.”

Since coming to Windsor three years ago, Weber has only gotten home to see his family three times per year. He goes to school during the day, practices with the team from 3 to 5 p.m. after school each day and plays three or four games per week.

He’s stayed in Canada the past three summers to work on his game — and he’s loved every minute of it.

“Pittsburgh likes it’s hockey, but it’s really a football town,” Weber said. “Hockey is king up here. We get 3,700 fans or so at every game. It’s all people talk about.”

Smith said Weber’s strengths are his skating ability and beating forwards in one-on-one situations.

“He hardly ever gets beat that way,” the coach said. “Mike is an unselfish team player. He needs to improve his puck-handling skills and reading the rush, and that’s what he’s been working on.”

One of 12 defensemen selected for the Prospects Game, Weber is the first Spitfires player chosen in three years.

Head coaches in the game will be former Boston Bruin coach Don Cherry and Hall of Fame defenseman Bobby Orr.

“Everyone in Canada knows who Don Cherry is and being a defenseman myself, Bobby Orr is my idol,” Weber said. “Being coached by and on the same bench as either of those guys … I can’t lose.”

Five No. 1 overall NHL draft choices have played in the CHL-NHL Prospects Game: Chris Phillips (1996), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002) and Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (2003).

Weber began skating at age 3. He began playing organized hockey at age 5.

“For years, my goal was to play Division I college hockey,” he said. “Once I decided to go to Windsor, that goal became the NHL.”

And he appears to be right on target.