Wheeling Nailers

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.

Wheeling Nailers
2019–20 ECHL season
CityWheeling, West Virginia
LeagueECHL
ConferenceWestern
DivisionCentral
Founded1981 (in the ACHL)
Home arenaWesBanco Arena
ColorsBlack, Vegas gold, white
              
Owner(s)Hockey Club of the Ohio Valley
Head coachMark French (ice hockey)
MediaWheeling News Register
WKWK Mix 97.3 FM
WTRF-TV channel 7
WTOV-TV channel 9
AffiliatesPittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Franchise history
1981–82Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1982–89Carolina Thunderbirds
1989–92Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1992–96Wheeling Thunderbirds
1996–presentWheeling Nailers
Championships
Regular season titles2 (1992–93, 1994–95)
Division Championships3 (1992–93, 1994–95, 2003–04)
Conference Championships2 (1992–93, 2015–16)

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 Payne Trophy winners as league champions.[1] In 1987, the ACHL folded and the team joined the All-American Hockey League for 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
2018–19723131—64722392406th, Central2019—Did not qualify
2019–20592430—50531632066th, Central2020—Season cancelled

Players and personnel

Current roster
Updated January 24, 2020.[7][8]
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
11 Alec Butcher RW R 26 2019 Anchorage, Alaska Nailers
25 Brad Drobot RW R 30 2018 Calgary, Alberta Nailers
2 Marc-Olivier Duquette D L 22 2019 Chateauguay, Quebec Nailers
5 Jack MacNee D L 24 2019 Ridgewood, New Jersey Nailers
4 Nick Minerva D R 24 2019 New Brunswick, New Jersey Nailers
18 Ruslan Rakhmatov D L 25 2020 Moscow, Russia Nailers
30 Jordan Ruby G L 29 2018 Tavistock, Ontario Nailers
13 Nick Saracino LW L 28 2018 St. Louis, Missouri Nailers
16 Craig Skudalski D L 25 2018 Wyoming, Pennsylvania Nailers
14 Will Smith LW L 24 2019 East Longmeadow, Massachusetts Nailers
3 Aaron Titcomb D R 27 2018 Charlestown, Massachusetts Nailers
26 Spencer Trapp D L 24 2019 White City, Saskatchewan Nailers

Head coaches

Nailers alumni

References
  1. "A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey". Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  2. "Wheeling Nailers". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos.net. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  3. Mastovich, Mike (April 2, 2010). "Arena confirms: Wheeling Nailers to play some games in Johnstown next year". The Tribune-Democrat.
  4. Press Release (August 1, 2011). "Annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting concludes". ECHL. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  5. Press Release (June 24, 2014). "Annual ECHL Board of Governors Meeting concludes". ECHL. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  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. Triveri, Frankie and David. "FRANCHISE HISTORY". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  10. "Nailers Part With Coach". The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register. April 11, 2018.
  11. "Nailers Name Mike Bavis as Head Coach". Nailers. August 7, 2018.
  12. "Nailers Begin Search for Next Head Coach". OurSports Central. March 30, 2020.
  13. "Nailers hire Mark French as coach". TribLive. June 8, 2020.
  14. wheelingnailers.com. "NHL Alumni". Retrieved November 18, 2013.
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