| ECHL | 12/10 21:10 | - | [3] Tulsa Oilers v Wheeling Nailers [3] | L | 2-1 | |
| ECHL | 12/10 00:10 | - | [8] Tulsa Oilers v Wheeling Nailers [13] | L | 5-2 | |
| ECHL | 12/09 00:00 | - | Indy Fuel v Wheeling Nailers | W | 3-4 | |
| ECHL | 12/03 21:10 | - | [27] Kalamazoo Wings v Wheeling Nailers [18] | W | 0-4 | |
| ECHL | 12/03 00:00 | - | Indy Fuel v Wheeling Nailers | L | 4-3 | |
| ECHL | 12/02 00:10 | - | [5] Toledo Walleye v Wheeling Nailers [16] | L | 3-2 | |
| ECHL | 11/30 00:00 | - | Wheeling Nailers v Indy Fuel | L | 2-3 | |
| ECHL | 11/26 21:10 | - | Wheeling Nailers v Iowa Heartlanders | W | 4-1 | |
| ECHL | 11/26 00:10 | - | Wheeling Nailers v Iowa Heartlanders | L | 2-6 | |
| ECHL | 11/24 18:35 | - | Cincinnati Cyclones v Wheeling Nailers | L | 5-2 | |
| ECHL | 11/23 00:10 | - | Wheeling Nailers v Toledo Walleye | W | 4-2 | |
| ECHL | 11/19 22:00 | - | Fort Wayne Komets v Wheeling Nailers | L | 3-1 | |
| ECHL | 11/18 00:00 | - | [8] Wheeling Nailers v Indy Fuel [27] | L | 1-4 | |
| ECHL | 11/15 15:35 | - | Toledo Walleye v Wheeling Nailers | W | 5-6 | |
| ECHL | 11/12 21:10 | - | [2] Idaho Steelheads v Wheeling Nailers [2] | L | 7-4 | |
| ECHL | 11/12 00:10 | - | [4] Idaho Steelheads v Wheeling Nailers [14] | W | 2-5 | |
| ECHL | 11/11 00:10 | - | [4] Idaho Steelheads v Wheeling Nailers [12] | L | 5-2 | |
| ECHL | 11/05 21:10 | - | [24] Reading Royals v Wheeling Nailers [14] | W | 4-7 | |
| ECHL | 11/04 23:10 | - | Wheeling Nailers v Reading Royals | W | 3-2 | |
| ECHL | 10/28 23:30 | - | Fort Wayne Komets v Wheeling Nailers | L | 7-3 | |
| ECHL | 10/27 23:00 | - | Kalamazoo Wings v Wheeling Nailers | W | 2-7 | |
| ECHL | 10/21 23:35 | - | Cincinnati Cyclones v Wheeling Nailers | W | 1-4 | |
| ECHL | 04/16 00:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Wheeling Nailers | L | 4-2 | |
| ECHL | 04/15 00:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Wheeling Nailers | L | 5-2 | |
| ECHL | 04/13 00:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Wheeling Nailers | W | 2-5 | |
| ECHL | 04/08 23:10 | - | [13] Fort Wayne Komets v Wheeling Nailers [23] | W | 3-4 | |
| ECHL | 04/07 23:10 | - | Wheeling Nailers v Iowa Heartlanders | W | 6-2 | |
| ECHL | 04/02 19:00 | - | Cincinnati Cyclones v Wheeling Nailers | L | 4-3 | |
| ECHL | 04/01 23:35 | - | Cincinnati Cyclones v Wheeling Nailers | L | 5-1 | |
| ECHL | 03/31 23:00 | - | [22] Wheeling Nailers v Indy Fuel [5] | L | 1-3 |
Wikipedia - 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.[1]
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.
The Wheeling Nailers are known for their hard-hitting style of play and their passionate fan base. The team's name comes from the city's history as a center for nail manufacturing in the 19th century. The team's logo features a fierce-looking nail with a hockey stick through it, symbolizing the team's toughness and determination on the ice.
The Wheeling Nailers play their home games at the WesBanco Arena, a state-of-the-art facility that provides an exciting atmosphere for fans to cheer on their favorite team. The team's colors are black, gold, and white, and their mascot, Spike the Nail, is a beloved figure at games and community events.
Overall, the Wheeling Nailers are a competitive and entertaining team that represents the spirit and pride of the Wheeling community. With a dedicated roster of talented players and a loyal fan base, the Nailers continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the ECHL.