Wheeling Nailers

Wheeling Nailers
2015–16 ECHL season
City Wheeling, West Virginia
League ECHL
Conference Eastern
Division North
Founded 1981 (In the ACHL)
Home arena WesBanco Arena
Colors Black, Vegas gold, white
              
Owner(s) Hockey Club of the Ohio Valley
Head coach David Gove
Captain Shane Bakker
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 1993, 1995
Division Championships 1993, 1995, 2004

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 were hugely successful on the ice, winning 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

Season Games WonLostTiedOTLSOLPoints Goals
for 		Goals
against 		Standing
1992–93 644016—8—883142231st, East
1993–94 683823—7—833272893rd, North
1994–95 684617—5—973132431st, North
1995–96 704223——5892892612nd, North
1996–97 7036295——772982914th, North
1997–98 7037249——832552552nd, North
1998–99 7027376——602062496th, Northeast
1999–2000 7025405——552022465th, Northeast
2000–01 7224408——561922775th, Northeast
2001–02 7236324——762132085th, Northeast
2002–03 7228413——591932616th, Northeast
2003–04 7251174——1062591881st, North
2004–05 7238295——811711736th, North
2005–06 7245216——962471862nd, East
2006–07 7232346——702152557th, North
2007–08 722243—34511862847th, North
2008–09 723628—26802632604th, North
2009–10 723335—25732402494th, North
2010–11 723829—05812302102nd, North
2011–12 723726—46832192022nd, Atlantic
2012–13 723129—39741932253rd, Atlantic
2013–14 723927—15842161962nd, Atlantic
2014–15 723733—11762102134th, North

Playoffs

SeasonPreliminary1st round2nd round3rd roundKelly Cup finals
1992–93 —ByeW, 3–1, Johnstown W, 4–2, Raleigh L, 2–4, Toledo
1993–94 —W, 2–0, Nashville W, 3–1, Hampton L, 0–3, Toledo —
1994–95 —L, 0–3, Birgmingham ———
1995–96 —W, 3–0, Columbus L, 1–3, Tallahassee ——
1996–97 —L, 0–3, Peoria ———
1997–98 —W, 3–2, Dayton W, 3–1, Toledo L, 2–4, Hampton—
1998–99 Out of playoffs
1999–2000 Out of playoffs
2000–01 Out of playoffs
2001–02 Out of playoffs
2002–03 Out of playoffs
2003–04 —L, 2–3, Reading ———
2004–05 Out of playoffs
2005–06 —W, 3–1, Reading L, 2–3, Toledo ——
2006–07 Out of playoffs
2007–08 Out of playoffs
2008–09 —L, 3–4, Cincinnati ———
2009–10 Out of playoffs
2010–11 —W, 3–1, South Carolina W, 4–3, Greenville L, 2–4, Kalamazoo—
2011–12 —L, 1–3, Kalamazoo———
2012–13 Out of playoffs
2013–14 —W, 4–0, South Carolina L, 2–4, Greenville ——
2014–15 —L, 3–4, Toledo ———

Current roster

Updated October 24, 2015.[7]
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
16 United States Army, DerekDerek Army C R 24 2014 North Kingstown, Rhode Island Nailers
19 Canada Bakker, ShaneShane Bakker (C) C L 28 2013 Ottawa, Ontario Nailers
3 Canada Beauregard, MickaelMickael Beauregard D R 21 2015 St. Jerome, Quebec Nailers
23 Canada Brace, RileyRiley Brace LW L 23 2014 Woodlawn, Ontario Nailers
20 Canada Burton, JarrettJarrett Burton F L 25 2014 Echo Bay, Ontario Nailers
8 Canada Burton, TannerTanner Burton D R 27 2014 Echo Bay, Ontario Nailers
4 Canada Cianfrini, PaulPaul Cianfrini D L 26 2013 Dundas, Ontario Nailers
30 United States DeSmith, CaseyCasey DeSmith G L 24 2015 Rochester, New Hampshire Nailers
18 Canada Ehrhardt, DallasDallas Ehrhardt D L 23 2015 Calgary, Alberta Nailers
5 United States Fick, DannyDanny Fick D R 24 2015 Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota Nailers
31 United States Foster, BrianBrian Foster G L 29 2015 Pembroke, New Hampshire Wilkes-Barre
21 Canada Gill, SahirSahir Gill C L 23 2013 Terrace, British Columbia Nailers
6 United States Gunn, MikeMike Gunn D L 23 2015 Livonia, Michigan Nailers
26 United States Krause, AdamAdam Krause RW R 24 2015 Hermantown, Minnesota Wilkes-Barre
12 Canada Lalancette, ChristopheChristophe Lalancette C R 21 2015 Roberval, Quebec Nailers
7 United States Leen, ConnorConnor Leen LW L 23 2015 Chester, New York Nailers
25 United States McCarron, JohnJohn McCarron RW R 23 2015 Macomb Township, Michigan Wilkes-Barre
13 United States McGrath, PatrickPatrick McGrath RW R 22 2013 Shavertown, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre
29 Canada Palazzese, FrankyFranky Palazzese G L 22 2014 Mississauga, Ontario Nailers
5 Canada Ruopp, HarrisonHarrison Ruopp D R 22 2013 Zehner, Saskatchewan Pittsburgh
22 Canada Seymour, ClarkClark Seymour D R 22 2014 Brockville, Ontario Wilkes-Barre
27 United States Stern, BrettBrett Stern D L 23 2015 St. Paul, Minnesota Nailers
14 United States Tabrum, MattMatt Tabrum F R 25 2015 Colorado Springs, Colorado Nailers
15 Canada Torquato, ZackZack Torquato C R 26 2011 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Nailers
11 United States Wydo, CodyCody Wydo F L 24 2015 Allen Park, Michigan Nailers
17 Russia Zlobin, AntonAnton Zlobin RW R 23 2013 Moscow, Russia Pittsburgh

Nailers alumni

Head coaches

References

  1. ↑ "A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey". Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  2. ↑ http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/1918/Wheeling_Nailers/
  3. ↑ http://tribune-democrat.com/sports/x993486041/Arena-confirms-Wheeling-Nailers-to-play-some-games-in-Johnstown-next-year
  4. ↑ Press release (August 1, 2011). "Annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting concludes". ECHL. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Annual ECHL Board of Governors Meeting concludes", ECHL, June 24, 2014. (accessed 24 June 2014)
  6. ↑ Press Release. "Ownership Transfer Approved By ECHL". Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Nailers Hockey - The Official Website". Wheeling Nailers. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  8. ↑ wheelingnailers.com. "NHL Alumni". Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ Triveri, Frankie and David. "FRANCHISE HISTORY". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.

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