Wheeling Nailers



The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The Wheeling Nailers are the ECHL Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was previously the Cornwall Aces before they became Pittsburgh's affiliate in 1996.

Franchise history
One of the oldest low-minor league hockey teams, the franchise began play in 1982 in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League as the Carolina Thunderbirds based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The team, along with the Virginia Lancers, joined the All-American Hockey League in 1987, which lasted just the 1987–88 season, after which the Thunderbirds, Lancers, and Johnstown Chiefs formed the basis for the modern ECHL, of which the Thunderbirds won the first ECHL playoff championship, then known as the Jack Riley Cup, defeating the Johnstown Chiefs, 4-3 for the 1988–89 season. They became the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in 1990 and moved to Wheeling in 1992 under the leadership of President and co-owner Ed Broyhill.

After a trademark dispute with the junior league Seattle Thunderbirds, the club became the 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. The team colors are black, red, and Vegas gold.

The team plays at the WesBanco Arena (formerly the Wheeling Civic Center). 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.

The Nailers were the inaugural ECHL champion in the playoffs, yet hold the record with three Brabham Cup titles.

Main rival
The Nailers main rival inside the ECHL is the Johnstown Chiefs, and both teams have been rivals for 21 seasons, counting the ACHL year before they became the ECHL. At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, opening night featured the two teams wearing 1988–89 era jerseys to celebrate the 20th ECHL season.

Notable Nailers Alumni

 * David Aebischer G - Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes
 * Paul Bissonnette LW - Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Francis Bouillon D - Montreal Canadiens
 * Daniel Carcillo LW - Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers
 * John Curry G - Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Drew Fata D - New York Islanders
 * Craig Ferguson C - Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers
 * Scott Ferguson D - Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Minnesota Wild
 * Scott Fraser RW - Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers
 * Joaquin Gage G - Edmonton Oilers
 * Jason Jaffray LW - Vancouver Canucks
 * Joe Jensen LW - Carolina Hurricanes
 * David Koci LW - Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues
 * Zenon Konopka C - Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning
 * Peter Laviolette Head Coach - Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes
 * Marc Lamothe G - Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings
 * Marquis Mathieu C - Boston Bruins
 * Kurtis McLean C - New York Islanders
 * Michel Ouellet RW - Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Ba Lightning, Vancouver Canucks
 * Cam Paddock C - St. Louis Blues
 * Marc Rodgers RW - Detroit Red Wings
 * Dany Sabourin G - Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks
 * Yves Sarault G - Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators
 * Danny Taylor G - Los Angeles Kings
 * Terry Virtue D - Boston Bruins, New York Rangers
 * Mark Visheau D - Los Angeles Kings
 * Tomas Vokoun G - Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers
 * Tim Wallace RW - Pittsburgh Penguins

Head Coaches

 * Tom McVie 1996-97
 * Peter Laviolette 1997-98
 * Chris Jensen 1998-99
 * Murray Eaves 1999-2000
 * Alain Lemieux 2000-01
 * Joe Harney 2001 (interim)
 * John Brophy 2001-03
 * Pat Bingham 2003-05
 * Glenn Patrick 2005-2008
 * Greg Puhalski 2008-2010
 * Stan Drulia 2010–2011
 * Clark Donatelli 2011–2015
 * David Gove 2015–2016
 * Jeff Christian 2016-Present)