For Tyler Murovich, hockey is a family affair. The Wheeling Nailers forward grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa. during a time of Penguins prosperity and played amateur hockey at the Ice Castle, an arena owned and operated by his father.

Now, after signing a one-year AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the 25-year-old Pittsburgh native is back with his hometown team’s affiliate, and is currently assigned to the Nailers of the ECHL.

“It feels great to be back in Wheeling,” Murovich said. “I think the team gets great support. It feels like I’m playing at home, being in the Penguins organization. People there really supported me and would send me messages on social media, even when I was gone from Wheeling, so to be back is pretty cool.”

Throughout his career, Murovich has played in four different leagues including the United States Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, the AHL and the ECHL. In 2006-07, he played 41 games for the Chicago Steel of the USHL, notching seven goals and six assists. From 2007-10, he played with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, scoring 70 goals and 83 assists for 153 points in 189 games played.

During the 2009-10 season, after becoming eligible to play in the AHL, Murovich went to the Syracuse Crunch’s AHL camp and played a few exhibition games, but was injured during one of the games. Due to the injury, he went back to Saginaw and played his third and final season, serving as the captain of the team.

“It was a great experience to play as an overager, and to really have a fun and productive year,” Murovich said. “It was a great opportunity for me to be in a town and with a team that I loved. After the season ended, Syracuse called me back to finish the season with them. I played five games and it couldn’t have gone any better. We did well those last couple of games, even though the team wasn’t a playoff team. It was a really positive note for my introduction to pro hockey.”

Murovich showed great flexibility and focus, both on and off of the ice, during his first full professional season in 2010-11, playing for four different teams in two different leagues. He skated for the Springfield Falcons and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, of the AHL and the Reading Royals and Wheeling Nailers, of the ECHL.

When Murovich first laced up for the Nailers during the 2010-11 campaign, he played the last 20 games of the season scoring five goals and notching five assists.

“My first year of pro, my biggest memory was how it ended on that positive note.” Murovich reminisced. “Playing close to home in Wheeling, having my family come up and playing on a team that was not that deep, skill wise, but that was a really great group of guys to play with and guys who wanted to play for each other.”

Murovich skated for the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL from 2011-13, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL from 2012-13, and split the 2013-14 season between the Iowa Wild of the AHL and the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. In 60 games with Orlando, Murovich posted 18 goals, 12 assists and 64 penalty minutes, while notching one goal in 14 appearances with Iowa. Throughout his time in both leagues, Murovich has maintained his own style of play.

“I try to be able to play in any situation, because when you get called up in the American League, you do whatever you can to stay,” Murovich said. “I think one thing that defines my game, no matter what level, is bringing a lot of energy. I take pride in my conditioning and trying to be the fittest guy out there. For me, being able to play in different situations and being a high energy guy and being a good two-way center is a big part of my game.”

Murovich is now playing his fifth year as a pro with the Nailers. But before the season started, he had some questions regarding his veteran status and reached out to the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) for some support.

“I’ve learned more and more over the years now, and they’ve been great to me every time I’ve needed information on something,” Murovich said of the PHPA. “They are always really helpful. This summer, I knew in the ECHL I would have veteran status, because I played over 260 games as a pro going into the season and so I called to find out more information about that because I know there are limits to how many veterans you could have on a roster. Every year you keep finding out different ways that you can benefit from having them look out for you and help you.”

The homegrown hockey player said he is happy to be back with the Nailers. Over the last few years, he has met and skated with a lot of the Pens players and said he feels grateful to be a part of the Penguins organization.

“I didn’t miss a Penguins game growing up,” Murovich said. “My dad had season tickets and we went to every single game. It’s cool to be in the organization, because now I really know everybody from top to bottom. There’s definitely an extra sense of pride. It’s an honor to play pro hockey, especially for an organization that I grew up watching.”

In addition to playing hockey professionally, Murovich enjoys giving back to the community as a coach and mentor to young hockey players in the Pittsburgh area. Utilizing the arena owned by his family, he organizes summer skates with local pros and trains kids on and off of the ice.

“It feels great,” Murovich said. “I try to make it what I wish I had at that age, as far as skill development. My inspiration with these kids is really just working on their skills and focusing on things that they wouldn’t get in a practice setting, because the coach has to worry about teaching them the game of hockey and teaching them how to play together. For me, my focus is working on their skills on and off of the ice and making them stronger in the gym.”

And while coaching kids and giving back to the community is important to the young pro, his ultimate goal remains the same.

“At a young age, my goal was always to play professionally,” Murovich said. “To put on a NHL jersey would be a honor. For me, it’s just trying to better myself as a player every day. I really enjoy putting the work in, getting better and learning the game, because I really have a passion for the game. It’s a family business and I’m gonna be involved in hockey forever, whether it’s playing or coaching, so I really want to better myself with my hockey knowledge and my play. But, as a player, my goal is always to play in the NHL.”