Wheeling Nailers

The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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, to take effect at the conclusion of the 2011–2012 season.
==Season-by-season results==
Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	SOL 	Pts 	GF 	GA 	Standing 	Year 	Prelim 	1st round 	2nd round 	3rd round 	Kelly Cup
Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling Thunderbirds 	Wheeling Thunderbirds 	Wheeling Thunderbirds 	Wheeling Thunderbirds 	Wheeling Thunderbirds
1992–93 	64 	40 	16 	— 	8 	— 	88 	314 	223 	1st, East 	1993 	— 	BYE 	W, 3–1, JHN 	W, 4–2, RAL 	L, 2–4, TOL
1993–94 	68 	38 	23 	— 	7 	— 	83 	327 	289 	3rd, North 	1994 	— 	W, 2–0, NSH 	W, 3–1, HR 	L, 0–3, TOL 	—
1994–95 	68 	46 	17 	— 	5 	— 	97 	313 	243 	1st, North 	1995 	— 	L, 0–3, BIR 	— 	— 	—
1995–96 	70 	42 	23 	— 	— 	5 	89 	289 	261 	2nd, North 	1996 	— 	W, 3–0, CLB 	L, 1–3, TAL 	— 	—
Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers 	Wheeling Nailers
1996–97 	70 	36 	29 	5 	— 	— 	77 	298 	291 	4th, North 	1997 	— 	L, 0–3, PEO 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	70 	37 	24 	9 	— 	— 	83 	255 	255 	2nd, North 	1998 	— 	W, 3–2, DAY 	W, 3–1, TOL 	L, 2–4, HR 	—
1998–99 	70 	27 	37 	6 	— 	— 	60 	206 	249 	6th, Northeast 	1999 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
1999–2000 	70 	25 	40 	5 	— 	— 	55 	202 	246 	5th, Northeast 	2000 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2000–01 	72 	24 	40 	8 	— 	— 	56 	192 	277 	5th, Northeast 	2001 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2001–02 	72 	36 	32 	4 	— 	— 	76 	213 	208 	5th, Northeast 	2002 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2002–03 	72 	28 	41 	3 	— 	— 	59 	193 	261 	6th, Northeast 	2003 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2003–04 	72 	51 	17 	4 	— 	— 	106 	259 	188 	1st, North 	2004 	BYE 	L, 2–3, REA 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	72 	38 	29 	5 	— 	— 	81 	171 	173 	6th, North 	2005 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2005–06 	72 	45 	21 	6 	— 	— 	96 	247 	186 	2nd, East 	2006 	BYE 	W, 3–1, REA 	L, 2–3, TOL 	— 	—
2006–07 	72 	32 	34 	— 	2 	4 	70 	215 	255 	7th, North 	2007 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2007–08 	72 	22 	43 	— 	3 	4 	51 	186 	284 	7th, North 	2008 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2008–09 	72 	36 	28 	— 	2 	6 	80 	263 	260 	4th, North 	2009 	— 	L, 3–4, CIN 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	72 	33 	32 	— 	2 	5 	73 	240 	249 	4th, North 	2010 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2010–11 	72 	38 	29 	— 	0 	5 	81 	230 	210 	2nd, North 	2011 	— 	W, 3–1, SC 	W, 4–3, GRN 	L, 2–4, KAL 	—
2011–12 	72 	37 	26 	— 	4 	6 	83 	219 	202 	2nd, Atlantic 	2012 	— 	L, 1–3, KAL 	— 	— 	—
2012–13 	72 	31 	29 	— 	3 	9 	74 	193 	225 	3rd, Atlantic 	2013 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2013–14 	72 	39 	27 	— 	1 	5 	84 	216 	196 	2nd, Atlantic 	2014 	— 	W, 4–0, SC 	L, 2–4, GRN 	— 	—
2014–15 	72 	37 	33 	— 	1 	1 	76 	210 	213 	4th, North 	2015 	— 	L, 3–4, TOL 	— 	— 	—
2015–16 	72 	37 	26 	— 	5 	4 	83 	214 	211 	2nd, North 	2016 	— 	W, 4–2, FLA 	W, 4–3, REA 	W, 4–3, SC 	L, 2–4, ALN
2016–17 	72 	34 	30 	— 	8 	0 	76 	244 	239 	5th, North 	2017 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2017–18 	72 	35 	28 	— 	8 	1 	79 	248 	245 	5th, North 	2018 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2018–19 	72 	31 	31 	— 	6 	4 	72 	239 	240 	6th, Central 	2019 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2019–20 	59 	24 	30 	— 	5 	0 	53 	163 	206 	6th, Central 	2020 	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 	68 	22 	39 	— 	6 	1 	51 	196 	241 	7th, Eastern 	2021 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2021–22 	72 	37 	31 	— 	4 	0 	78 	243 	247 	3rd, Central 	2022 	— 	W, 4–3, FW 	L, 0–4, TOL 	— 	—
2022–23 	72 	29 	38 	— 	5 	0 	63 	223 	244 	5th, Central 	2023 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2023–24 	71 	38 	28 	— 	4 	1 	81 	232 	204 	3rd, Central 	2024 	— 	W, 4–1, IND 	L, 0–4, TOL 	— 	—
==Players and personnel==
===Current roster===
Updated April 2024.
===Head coaches===
*Doug Sauter 1992–95
*Larry Kish 1995–96
*Tom McVie 1996–97
*Peter Laviolette 1997–98
*Chris Jensen 1998–99
*Murray Eaves 1999–2000
*Alain Lemieux 2000–01
*Joe Harney (interim) 2001 
*John Brophy 2001–03
*Pat Bingham 2003–05
*Glenn Patrick 2005–08
*Greg Puhalski 2008–10
*Stan Drulia 2010–11
*Clark Donatelli 2011–15
*David Gove 2015–16
*Jeff Christian 2016–18
*Mike Bavis 2018–2020
*Mark French 2020–2021
*Derek Army 2021–present
===Notable NHL alumni===
List of Wheeling Nailers/Thunderbirds alumni who played more than 25 games in Wheeling and 25 or more games in the National Hockey League.
==Notes==
:1.The ECHL's Utah Grizzlies franchise also dates from 1981, but was dormant from 2003-2005.
==References==
==External links==
* 
Category:ECHL teams
Category:Ice hockey teams in West Virginia
Category:Philadelphia Flyers minor league affiliates
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins minor league affiliates
Category:Ice hockey clubs established in 1996
Category:Montreal Canadiens minor league affiliates