CRANBERRY TWP — United States Hockey League Commissioner Bob Fallen predicts it will be “the most heavily scouted hockey event in North America.”

It is the first-ever USHL Fall Classic.

And it's coming to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex Sept. 27 through Oct. 1.

The event will feature all 16 USHL franchises playing preseason games against each other, along with a Team USA squad, 16 16-under and 16 14-under all-star teams.

The USHL season begins Oct. 6.

“Never before will so much amateur hockey talent be gathered under the same roof,” Fallen enthused.

The Lemieux Complex hosted a similar USHL preseason classic last season that featured only the eight teams from the league's Eastern Division.

“That event alone attracted 200 scouts,” said Rich Hixon, president of the Lemieux Complex. “I can't imagine how many scouts this thing will bring in here.

“They're going to be all over the place.”

Fallen said every NHL franchise will have at least three scouts on hand and all 60 NCAA Division I hockey programs will be represented.

The Youngstown Phantoms are the USHL's nearest franchise to here geographically. The league also has teams in such markets as Cedar Rapids and Des Moines (Iowa), Chicago, Madison (Wisc.), Fargo (N.D.) and Omaha (Neb.).

Amy Pack of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau said 4,000 hotel rooms have already been booked throughout Butler County.

“We haven't crunched the numbers yet, but the financial impact on our area in terms of hotels, restaurants, shops, etc., will be huge,” Pack said.

The USHL is a Tier I junior league that had more players drafted “per capita” by NHL teams than any other junior league last season, Fallen said.

“We had 40 players selected and the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) had 42 — but they have three more teams than us,” Fallen said.

Besides the NHL draftees, 95 percent of all USHL players wind up moving on to NCAA Division I hockey. And there are more than 300 NCAA alumni currently playing in the NHL.

“Our league has become a viable way to get there,” Fallen said.

The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex features two rinks and 1,333 seats. Games will be “going on day and night that entire weekend,” Hixon said.

He added that between the Pittsburgh Penguins practicing at the complex, Robert Morris University squeezing games in and the USHL Fall Classic, ”fans will be able to experience hockey at all levels. The stars will be aligned.”

Fallen indicated that the Lemieux Complex landed this event because of Pittsburgh as a hockey market and Butler County as a host.

“Logistically, the facility and hockey interest are there ... and we were treated great when we came in here last year,” he said. “The way we were set up with hotels and everything, it all went so smoothly.”

Ticket information for the USHL Fall Classic will be released in the next couple of weeks. Single-day and all-event ticket packages will be available.