WHEELING — The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite AAA 18U team skated its way to a national championship earlier this month.

That noteworthy accomplishment was fueled by a local skater. Luke Edgerton of Wheeling is one of the key performers for the Elite.

The Elite traveled to San Jose for the national tourney on the strength of wild card bid after losing in the district finals to a Columbus-based team. The Elite made the most of its second chance, albeit getting off to a rocky start in the Golden State.

“We lost our first game in California to a team from Chicago. Then we won our next five to win it all,” Edgerton said.

The Pittsburgh-based team defeated Culver Military Academy, 3-0, April 4 in the national championship game. The Elite iced New Jersey, 2-1, in the semifinals. Edgerton registered one of the goals against Jersey. He scored two goals and added six assists in five games in San Jose, missing one contest due to the flu.

Edgerton’s Elite campaign was an arduous one, co-existing with his hockey season at Wheeling Central. He helped the Maroon Knights to the West Virginia state title this February, downing Linsly, 7-5, at WesBanco Arena.

Ironically, he skated for Linsly as a freshman and sophomore, leading the Cadets to the state championships both seasons. As a junior, Edgerton opted to play for Scranton (Pa.), a cyber-school. He led the Knights with 15 goals and 18 assists.

The Pittsburgh Elite launched practices in August. Sessions were held three days a week in the Steel City. Regular-season games commenced in late August and continued through the district tournament.

All told, the Pittsburgh Elite amassed a sparkling 49-16-6 record. Edgerton played in 60 of those contests and netted 34 goals and added

42 assists.

The Elite schedule was a challenging one for the Wheeling skater, one that he juggled quite well. The Elite traveled to such places as Columbus, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Consequently, such travel placed great stress on his school work, his body and his time with the Maroon Knights.

“All the time devoted to the Elite really did make it tough to keep up with my school work and my grades. Also, winning the state championship was a great feeling, but I did not even play in the title game because of my Elite schedule,” Edgerton said. “And after 70 games, my body was pretty banged up. But all the travel and work was well worth it.”

Edgerton took to the ice shortly after he learned to walk. He didn’t have to look very far for a hockey mentor — his dad, Devin Edgerton, was a professional hockey player, including a stint with the Wheeling Thunderbirds in the early 1990s before enjoying a long and successful playing career in Europe.

“I started to skate when I was 2-years-old. I was in Europe until I was 11,” Edgerton said. “U.S. hockey is much more physical than the brand in Europe.”

Now as his body and mind mend from the rigors of nine months of continuous hockey and travel, Edgerton plays a waiting game. His sights are directly affixed to May 3 and the United States Hockey League Draft.

“The USHL is the No. 1 junior hockey league in the country. It is for players age 20 and under,” Edgerton, age 18, said. “There are 17 teams in the league and it is a great stepping stone to the NHL. I am really hoping to get drafted by the USHL.”

And should his name not get called May 3?

Edgerton has signed a tender with the Amarillo Bulls of the North American Hockey League. The NAHL is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the nation. It is the only Junior A Tier II league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternative to the USHL.

“Amarillo is a nice option if needed. But my hopes are to be drafted by USHL,” he said.

If so, it would be icing on a sweet year of hockey for Edgerton.

Kapral may be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonline.com