R.J. Umberger plays in Philadelphia with the Flyers, but his hockey roots trace back to the other side of the Keystone State.

Growing up in a Pittsburgh suburb, Umberger joined many of his peers in idolizing Penguins hall of famer Mario Lemieux.

“Watching him provides some of the best memories of my childhood,” Umberger said. “He was amazing to watch. He electrified the city and brought hockey on the map [in Pittsburgh].”

Umberger did his part, too.

He eventually became the first Western Pennsylvania-born player to be selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, and then in 2005 he became the second player from the area to play in the league.

Umberger’s rise traces back to Plum High School, where he led his team to a pair of league championships, amassing 108 goals and 187 points in just 48 games. The school recognized Umberger by raising his number to the rafters and inducting him into its hall of fame.

“It’s where my roots are,” Umberger said. “It’s what made me the person I am, being from here, and it will always have a lot of meaning.”

Umberger also experienced success with the Pittsburgh Hornets, leading the Michigan National League in scoring. He was also part of the USA Hockey Select 16 Festival, which showcases top prospects.

“I think that opened some opportunities,” Umberger said. “I had a really good tournament, and I think that’s when I got an invitation to join the [U.S. National Team Development Program].”

The NTDP was two years old at the time and still in its infancy, but Umberger jumped at the chance to join the elite then-Ann Arbor, Michigan-based program.

“I was pretty excited about it and pumped from the get-go,” Umberger said. “At 16, my family and I decided the only way I was leaving home that year was if I was going to make the [NTDP].

“I wasn’t ready to go to another junior program. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”

And he took full advantage.

Umberger, a center, scored 64 goals and 132 points with the NTDP — marks that still stand as top-10 in program history, even as the NTDP has produced 261 NHL draft picks, including 56 in the first round. Umberger was the sixth first-round pick in program history.

“I guess it’s pretty amazing, but there has been a lot of good players that have gone through,” Umberger said. “I’m just happy to be part of the program, being an alum there to just to have that opportunity.”

Umberger, who played with the NTDP from 1998-2000, considers the experience a springboard to his NHL career.

“Getting there early at 16 years old, it developed me and pushed me to be a better player,” Umberger said. “I got amazing coaching, and it helped me open a lot of doors. A lot of scouts were able to see me, and it opened opportunities in areas I otherwise wouldn’t have had.”

Umberger accepted a scholarship to Ohio State University, where he scored 58 goals and 129 points in 112 games, finishing as a First-Team All-Star and Top-10 Hobey Baker finalist for the top player in college hockey during his junior season.

It eventually resulted in a still-successful 11-year NHL career for the 33-year-old Umberger, who has nearly 200 goals and 400 points in more than 770 games with the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The NTDP helped him get there.

“It just goes back to having that opportunity when I was younger and taking advantage of it,” Umberger said.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.