Nailers Announce 2025-26 Season-Opening Roster

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are excited to announce their 2025-26 Season-Opening Roster, as the team prepares to open its 34th season on Saturday night with a road contest against the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou begins his first season with the organization, following 16 spectacular seasons as the head coach of the Brooks Bandits. The Bandits won 907 of 1,172 games under Papaioannou's leadership. Mitch Giguere enters his third season as an assistant coach in Wheeling, which will be the longest tenure for any assistant coach in team history. The Nailers have posted an 81-53-9 record over the last two seasons. Pittsburgh Penguins Roving Development Coach Evan McFeeters will also be behind the bench frequently with Wheeling this season. McFeeters has over 15 years of coaching experience and has worked with Papaioannou before as an assistant coach for Brooks from 2020 to 22. Karel Popper returns for his second season as the team's goaltending coach. Last season, Nailers goaltenders combined for a 2.69 goals against average, which was the team's best in the last 19 years. Equipment Manager Bill Higgins has been around for all of those seasons plus a few more, as the Wheeling, West Virginia native begins his 23rd season in his current role. Fellow Ohio Valley native Cole Koontz (Sherrard, West Virginia) joins the staff for his first season as the club's athletic trainer.

Papaioannou and his staff have compiled an opening roster of 26 players - 15 forwards, seven defensemen, and four goaltenders. This will be one of the newer rosters that fans in Wheeling have seen in recent seasons, as eight of the 26 players have ever played for the Nailers, and only three of those eight were in the lineup on opening night last October. Ten of the remaining 18 players have previously played in the ECHL with other organizations. This season's roster also has a significant amount of influence from the affiliates in Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as there are ten players with either an NHL or AHL contract.

Goaltenders

Jake Smith- Oakville, Ontario native signed this summer; has played the last nine seasons in Europe and has played internationally for Team Italy

Logan Neaton- Brighton, Michigan native acquired in a trade with Indy this summer; played collegiately at UMass-Lowell & Miami and was drafted by Winnipeg in 2019

Jaxon Castor- Phoenix, Arizona native entering his third season with the Nailers; has gone 16-11-2, and is one of three Wheeling goalies all-time to win a playoff game in consecutive years

Maxim Pavlenko- Aksu, Kazakhstan native under AHL contract; played last two seasons in Russia's VHL; second Kazakhstan native in team history - has played internationally for Team Kazakhstan

Defensemen

Daniel Laatsch- Altoona, Wisconsin native under NHL Contract; played the last four seasons at the University of Wisconsin and was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2021

Aidan Sutter- Kamloops, British Columbia native joined the Nailers in February; had two assists in 17 games; was the top scoring defenseman for Everett (WHL) in 2022-23

Bogdans Hodass- Jelgava, Latvia native signed this summer; recorded three goals & six assists in 40 games as a rookie with Iowa; has competed internationally with Team Latvia

Tommy Budnick- Petoskey, Michigan native under AHL contract; played his last four seasons in the OHL (Kingston, Guelph, Brantford) and recorded at least 20 points three times

David Breazeale- Grandville, Michigan native under AHL contract; made his AHL debut with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the spring, following four seasons at the University of Maine

Trevor LeDonne- Stoney Creek, Ontario native acquired in a trade with Allen this summer; tallied one goal and three assists in 15 games, after finishing his college season at Robert Morris University

Brent Johnson- St. Louis, Missouri native under AHL contract; played in three games for Wheeling in the spring after finishing his college season at Ohio State University; was drafted by Washington in 2021

Forwards

Mike Posma- Pomona, New York native signed this summer; started his pro career in the spring by playing four games with Florida, following four seasons at Boston College

Logan Pietila- Howell, Michigan native entering his second season with the Nailers; recorded nine goals & 18 assists in 69 games as a rookie

Ryan Mahshie- Stoney Creek, Ontario native acquired in a trade with Savannah this summer; has five goals, four assists, nine points in 74 ECHL games; played for Ryan Papaioannou from 2017-19

Cole Tymkin- Rainy River, Ontario native, debuted with the Nailers in February; had five goals, three assists, eight points, 63 penalty minutes in 24 games, including a Gordie Howe Hat Trick

Randy Hernández- Miami, Florida native acquired in a trade with Atlanta this summer; had 11 goals & nine assists in 65 games as a rookie with Atlanta; played for Ryan Papaioannou from 2018-20

Craig Armstrong- Crossfield, Alberta native signed this summer; notched seven goals & 12 assists in 64 games as a rookie with Utah

Matthew Quercia- Andover, Massachusetts native, enters his fourth season with the Nailers; set career highs with 20 goals and 188 penalty minutes (team leader) last season

Nolan Renwick- Milestone, Saskatchewan native under AHL contract; scored two goals in four AHL games in the spring, following four seasons at the University of Maine

Jack Works- Yellowknife, Northwest Territories native joined the Nailers in March; had three assists in 14 games; first player in team history from the Northwest Territories

Zach Urdahl- Eau Claire, Wisconsin native under AHL contract; played his last four seasons collegiately at Wisconsin & Omaha, and led Omaha with 13 goals in 2023-24

Max Graham- Whitehorse, Yukon native under AHL contract; played the last five seasons in the WHL with Everett & Kelowna; first Yukon native in team history; was drafted by New Jersey in 2024

Connor Lockhart- Kanata, Ontario native acquired in a trade with Bloomington; had 12 goals & 18 assists in 68 games as a rookie with Bloomington; was drafted by Vancouver in 2021

Jordan Kaplan- Bridgewater, New Jersey native acquired in a trade with Savannah this summer; entering his fifth pro season; finished third on Worcester with 18 goals & 31 assists last season

Zach Gallant- London, Ontario native under AHL contract; had four points in three games with Wheeling last season; has played in 90 career AHL games; drafted by Detroit in 2017

Brayden Edwards- Abbotsford, British Columbia native under AHL contract; played his last four seasons in the WHL (Winnipeg & Lethbridge), and led Lethbridge with 77 points last season

Catch all of the action all season long on the Nailers Broadcast Network, presented by Main Street Bank. All of the games will air on radio on Mix 97.3 as well as via the iHeartRadio app. All home games will be televised locally on My Ohio Valley, thanks to WTRF. FloHockey remains the official streaming partner of the ECHL and AHL, meaning all games will be available there. DJ Abisalih enters his 15th season as the Voice of the Nailers, and will have a familiar face joining him in the Erb Electric Broadcast Booth. Former Thunderbirds Captain Brock Woods will be the color commentator for the home games.

The regular season begins on Saturday, when the Nailers travel to Cincinnati for a 7:35 p.m. match against the Cyclones. Wheeling's home opener is Saturday, November 1st at 7:10 against the Norfolk Admirals. America's Got Talent Star Grace Good will be performing during both intermissions, and the game will have a circus theme. Season memberships and other terrific ticket plans for the 2025-26 season are available now by calling (304) 234-GOAL. The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley.

2025-26 Wheeling Nailers Season-Opening Roster

#6-D-Daniel Laatsch

#8-D-Aidan Sutter

#12-F-Mike Posma

#13-F-Logan Pietila

#14-F-Ryan Mahshie

#15-F-Cole Tymkin

#17-D-Bogdans Hodass

#19-F-Randy Hernández

#21-F-Craig Armstrong

#22-F-Matthew Quercia

#23-F-Nolan Renwick

#25-F-Jack Works

#30-G-Jake Smith

#31-G-Logan Neaton

#32-D-Tommy Budnick

#34-F-Zach Urdahl

#35-G-Jaxon Castor

#36-F-Max Graham

#37-F-Connor Lockhart

#40-G-Maxim Pavlenko

#42-D-David Breazeale

#47-F-Jordan Kaplan

#57-D-Trevor LeDonne

#62-F-Zach Gallant

#74-D-Brent Johnson

#83-F-Brayden Edwards

Corey Klug