Wheeling Nailers

Wheeling Nailers
2018–19 ECHL season
City Wheeling, West Virginia
League ECHL
Conference Western
Division Central
Founded 1981 (in the ACHL)
Home arena WesBanco Arena
Colors Black, Vegas gold, white
              
Owner(s) Hockey Club of the Ohio Valley
Head coach Mike Bavis
Media Wheeling News Register
WKWK Mix 97.3 FM
WTRF-TV channel 7
WTOV-TV channel 9
Affiliates Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Franchise history
1981–82 Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1982–89 Carolina Thunderbirds
1989–92 Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1992–96 Wheeling Thunderbirds
1996–present Wheeling Nailers
Championships
Regular season titles 2 (1992–93, 1994–95)
Division Championships 3 (1992–93, 1994–95, 2003–04)
Conference Championships 2 (1992–93, 2015–16)

The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

The Nailers are the oldest surviving minor league franchise below the level of the American Hockey League, with unbroken continuity of franchise and never having missed a season of play.

Franchise history

The Nailers began play in 1981 in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League as the Carolina Thunderbirds based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Thunderbirds won four consecutive regular season titles and were three-time Bob Paine Trophy winners as league champions.[1] In 1987, the ACHL folded and the team joined the All-American Hockey League, which lasted just the 1987–88 season. The Thunderbirds, Virginia Lancers, and Johnstown Chiefs then became the basis for the East Coast Hockey League, now known as the ECHL. The Thunderbirds lost the first ECHL playoff championship final to the Toledo Storm. The team was renamed Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in 1990 and moved to Wheeling to become the Wheeling Thunderbirds in 1992 under the leadership of president and co-owner Ed Broyhill.

After a trademark dispute with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, the team was renamed Nailers for the 1996–97 season when the franchise held a contest open to local fans, which was won by C. J. Wickham of Steubenville, Ohio. The name "Nailers" was chosen for the city's long history of nail manufacturing. For the 2012–13 season, the Nailers dropped the red-black-gold scheme they had used for nearly two decades in favor of a black-and-gold palette used by the Penguins.[2]

The team plays at the WesBanco Arena (formerly the Wheeling Civic Center), and used the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania as an alternative venue during the 2010–2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.[3] After missing the playoffs for five straight seasons, they had a 106-point season in 2003–04. They were defeated by the Reading Royals in 5 games, 3–2. In season 2005–06 they had a great season making it to the second round of the playoffs losing to Toledo in the final second of the final game.

In August 2011, the Nailers moved to the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division as part of the league realignment for the 2011–12 season. The Chicago Express took the North Division spot vacated by the Nailers.[4] In June 2014 the Nailers returned to the North Division after the ECHL eliminated the Atlantic Division in its realignment for the 2014–15 season.[5]

On March 29, 2012, the ECHL announced that ownership of the Nailers would be transferred from the Brooks-owned Nailers Hockey LLC to the Hockey Club of the Ohio Valley, a joint venture of the Ohio Valley Industrial & Business Development Corporation, and the Wheeling Amateur Hockey Association,[6] to take effect at the conclusion of the 2011–2012 season.

Season-by-season results

Regular season Playoffs
SeasonGPWLTOTLSOLPtsGFGAStandingYearPrelim1st round2nd round3rd roundKelly Cup
Wheeling Thunderbirds
1992–93644016—8—883142231st, East1993—BYEW, 3–1, JHNW, 4–2, RALL, 2–4, TOL
1993–94683823—7—833272893rd, North1994—W, 2–0, NSHW, 3–1, HRL, 0–3, TOL—
1994–95684617—5—973132431st, North1995—L, 0–3, BIR———
1995–96704223——5892892612nd, North1996—W, 3–0, CLBL, 1–3, TAL——
Wheeling Nailers
1996–977036295——772982914th, North1997—L, 0–3, PEO———
1997–987037249——832552552nd, North1998—W, 3–2, DAYW, 3–1, TOLL, 2–4, HR—
1998–997027376——602062496th, Northeast1999Did not qualify
1999–20007025405——552022465th, Northeast2000Did not qualify
2000–017224408——561922775th, Northeast2001Did not qualify
2001–027236324——762132085th, Northeast2002Did not qualify
2002–037228413——591932616th, Northeast2003Did not qualify
2003–047251174——1062591881st, North2004BYEL, 2–3, REA———
2004–057238295——811711736th, North2005—Did not qualify
2005–067245216——962471862nd, East2006BYEW, 3–1, REAL, 2–3, TOL——
2006–07723234—24702152557th, North2007Did not qualify
2007–08722243—34511862847th, North2008Did not qualify
2008–09723628—26802632604th, North2009—L, 3–4, CIN———
2009–10723332—25732402494th, North2010—Did not qualify
2010–11723829—05812302102nd, North2011—W, 3–1, SCW, 4–3, GRNL, 2–4, KAL—
2011–12723726—46832192022nd, Atlantic2012—L, 1–3, KAL———
2012–13723129—39741932253rd, Atlantic2013—Did not qualify
2013–14723927—15842161962nd, Atlantic2014—W, 4–0, SCL, 2–4, GRN——
2014–15723733—11762102134th, North2015—L, 3–4, TOL———
2015–16723726—54832142112nd, North2016—W, 4–2, FLAW, 4–3, REAW, 4–3, SCL, 2–4, ALN
2016–17723430—80762442395th, North2017—Did not qualify
2017–18723528—81792482455th, North2018—Did not qualify

Players

Current roster

Updated August 22, 2018.[7][8]
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
18 Canada Matt Abt D L 25 2018 Leduc, Alberta Nailers
– United States Tyler Bird RW R 22 2018 Boston, Massachusetts Nailers
– United States Dalton Carter D R 24 2018 Toledo, Ohio Nailers
– United States Josh Couturier D L 23 2018 Newbury, Massachusetts Nailers
– United States Brien Diffley D R 23 2018 Burlington, Massachusetts Nailers
5 United States Danny Fick D R 27 2015 Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota Nailers
– Japan Yushiroh Hirano RW R 23 2018 Tomakomai, Japan Nailers
– Canada Cedric Lacroix F L 23 2018 Shefford, Quebec Nailers
– United States Zac Lynch C R 26 2018 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Nailers
– United States Alex Rauter LW L 24 2018 Chatham, New Jersey Nailers
– United States Nick Saracino LW L 26 2018 St. Louis, Missouri Nailers
9 United States Andrew Schmit RW R 27 2018 Grafton, Wisconsin Nailers
– United States Bryan Sienerth C R 22 2018 Erie, Pennsylvania Nailers
– United States Danny Tirone G R 24 2018 Trumbull, Connecticut Nailers
– United States Aaron Titcomb D R 25 2018 Charlestown, Massachusetts Nailers
12 Canada Ayrton Valente D L 25 2018 Vaughan, Ontario Nailers

Nailers alumni

Head coaches

References

  1. ↑ "A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey". Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Wheeling Nailers". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos.net. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  3. ↑ Mastovich, Mike (2010-04-02). "Arena confirms: Wheeling Nailers to play some games in Johnstown next year". The Tribune-Democrat.
  4. ↑ Press Release (2011-08-01). "Annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting concludes". ECHL. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  5. ↑ Press Release (2014-06-24). "Annual ECHL Board of Governors Meeting concludes". ECHL. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  6. ↑ Press Release. "Ownership Transfer Approved By ECHL". Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Wheeling Nailers playing roster". Wheeling Nailers. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Wheeling Nailers Elite Prospects". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ wheelingnailers.com. "NHL Alumni". Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ Triveri, Frankie and David. "FRANCHISE HISTORY". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Nailers Part With Coach". The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register. April 11, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Nailers Name Mike Bavis as Head Coach". Nailers. August 7, 2018.
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