Nailers Announce 2025-26 Schedule

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced their schedule for the 2025-26 season - the 34th season of professional hockey in Wheeling.

One of the greatest aspects of Wheeling's schedule year after year is how focused it is on weekends, and that is indeed the case in 2025-26. 34 of the 36 home games will be played on weekends and holidays, with one of the two outliers being the annual Education Day game, which will take place on March 11th at 10:45 a.m. Home game times are expected to remain the same as they have been in previous seasons, as Sunday games will begin at 4:10, games on all other days of the week will begin at 7:10, and the annual New Year's Eve game will begin at 6:10.

The Nailers will be playing in the North Division for the second season in a row, and with that, they gain a new divisional opponent in the expansion Greensboro Gargoyles. Wheeling will play 50 of its 72 games (69%) against North Division squads, led by 15 against 24-year rival Reading. In addition to facing all seven teams from the North, Wheeling will maintain some of its geographical rivalries by playing against six teams in the Central Division. There is one other club on the docket, as the Nailers will travel to Rapid City, South Dakota for the second time in their history.

For the third straight season, the opening puck drop will take place on the road, but it is in a city that is a short trip for fans, as Wheeling will make its lone visit to Cincinnati on Saturday, October 18th. The following weekend will be significantly farther away, as the Nailers will play a two-game series at Maine on October 25th and 26th.

In case the wait until November 1st wasn't long enough, Wheeling fans will be extra hungry for the start of the home slate, as the first opponent at WesBanco Arena in 2025-26 will be the final opponent from 2024-25 - Norfolk. The Nailers and Admirals will play a two-game set on Saturday, November 1st and Sunday, November 2nd. Wheeling will then travel to Greensboro, North Carolina for the first time since 2004, where the Gargoyles await the first three head-to-head match-ups (Nov. 6, 7, 8). The Nailers will follow that up with a two-game home series against Maine on the 14th and 15th. Wheeling and Reading will tackle the first four games in their 15-game battle over the course of seven days, with the lone home date in that stretch being November 21st. Thanksgiving Week is stuffed with hockey, and fans will be thankful for three matches at home. Indy is the opponent for the annual Thanksgiving Eve game (Nov. 26), the Nailers will travel to Toledo on Black Friday (Nov. 28), then Cincinnati comes to town for two to wrap up the weekend (Nov. 29 & 30). Feel free to take a deep breath after all of that, as the 15 games in November are the most the team will play in any month.

The early portion of December features two more ventures to Reading (Dec. 3 & 10), but sandwiched in the middle of that is a three-game home weekend against Greensboro on December 5th, 6th, and 7th. Those will be the final home games before the holidays, as Wheeling will play five straight in enemy territory. The second of those Reading games will lead the squad up to Glens Falls, New York for two games against Adirondack (Dec. 12 & 13), then the pre-holiday schedule concludes with two in Greensboro (Dec. 19 & 20).

Rumor has it Nailers fans will have lots of hockey on their wish lists for the holidays, and wow, is the ECHL ever delivering in a big way. Wheeling will start in Toledo on December 26th, then get to unpack for a while, as there will be eight straight home tilts over a three-week span. There is plenty of variety in those eight games, as they will be played against five different opponents - Indy (Dec. 27), Cincinnati (Dec. 28), Worcester (Dec. 31 & Jan. 2), Bloomington (Jan. 3), and Trois-Rivières (Jan. 9, 10, 11). The Nailers will be looking for their eighth straight win on New Year's Eve in their 32nd home game all-time on that date. This will be the first time that the Railers are the opponent for that event. A two-game visit to Norfolk will lead the club into the All-Star Break (All-Star Game in Allen, Texas), and a three-game homestand greets the team after the break. The opponents for that weekend will be Reading (Jan. 23, 24) and Fort Wayne (Jan. 25).

January ends and February begins with an entire week in New England, as Wheeling will play one contest in Maine (Jan. 28) and three in Worcester (Jan. 30, 31, Feb. 1). The Nailers will take the ice for nine of their next 11 games at WesBanco Arena to cover the majority of February. That gets underway with three straight games against Central Division foes - Fort Wayne on the 4th, Indy on the 6th, and Cincinnati on the 7th. After a quick hop, skip, and a jump to Indy (Feb. 11), there will be no love lost when the Friendly City welcomes Reading for all of Valentine's Weekend on the 13th, 14th, and 15th. The Royals will return for one more the following Sunday, the 22nd. Wheeling will have its lone clash with Kalamazoo on February 27th, before a home-and-home series against Fort Wayne (Feb. 28 away, Mar. 1 home).

March features two homestands and two road trips to far away lands. The first homestand will begin with Education Day against Reading on the 11th, and be followed by tilts with Adirondack on the 13th and 14th. The final three home games of the regular season will be on the 27th, 28th, and 29th - all against Worcester. The two journeys away from West Virginia will lead the Nailers to Rapid City (Mar. 4, 6, 7) and Trois-Rivières (Mar. 20, 21, 22).

Wheeling will play all five of its games in April on enemy ice. All joking aside, the Nailers will be in Fort Wayne on April Fool's Day, Toledo on the 4th, and one last set in Reading on the 10th, 11th, and 12th.

2025-26 Opponent Breakdown
15 vs. Reading - 7 home, 8 away
8 vs. Worcester - 5 home, 3 away
8 vs. Greensboro - 3 home, 5 away
6 vs. Trois-Rivières - 3 home, 3 away
5 vs. Cincinnati - 4 home, 1 away
5 vs. Fort Wayne - 3 home, 2 away
5 vs. Maine - 2 home, 3 away
4 vs. Indy - 3 home, 1 away
4 vs. Adirondack - 2 home, 2 away
4 vs. Norfolk - 2 home, 2 away
3 vs. Rapid City - 3 away
3 vs. Toledo - 3 away
1 vs. Bloomington - 1 home
1 vs. Kalamazoo - 1 home

2025-26 Schedule
Sat. Oct. 18 at Cincinnati, 7:35
Sat. Oct. 25 at Maine, 6:00
Sun. Oct. 26 at Maine, 3:00
Sat. Nov. 1 vs. Norfolk, 7:10
Sun. Nov. 2 vs. Norfolk, 4:10
Thu. Nov. 6 at Greensboro, 7:00
Fri. Nov. 7 at Greensboro, 7:00
Sat. Nov. 8 at Greensboro, 7:00
Fri. Nov. 14 vs. Maine, 7:10
Sat. Nov. 15 vs. Maine, 7:10
Sun. Nov. 16 at Reading, 3:00
Tue. Nov. 18 at Reading, 10:30 a.m.
Fri. Nov. 21 vs. Reading, 7:10
Sat. Nov. 22 at Reading, 7:00
Wed. Nov. 26 vs. Indy, 7:10
Fri. Nov. 28 at Toledo, 7:15
Sat. Nov. 29 vs. Cincinnati, 7:10
Sun. Nov. 30 vs. Cincinnati, 4:10
Wed. Dec. 3 at Reading, 7:00
Fri. Dec. 5 vs. Greensboro, 7:10
Sat. Dec. 6 vs. Greensboro, 7:10
Sun. Dec. 7 vs. Greensboro, 4:10
Wed. Dec. 10 at Reading, 7:00
Fri. Dec. 12 at Adirondack, 7:00
Sat. Dec. 13 at Adirondack, 7:00
Fri. Dec. 19 at Greensboro, 7:00
Sat. Dec. 20 at Greensboro, 7:00
Fri. Dec. 26 at Toledo, 7:15
Sat. Dec. 27 vs. Indy, 7:10
Sun. Dec. 28 vs. Cincinnati, 4:10
Wed. Dec. 31 vs. Worcester, 6:10
Fri. Jan. 2 vs. Worcester, 7:10
Sat. Jan. 3 vs. Bloomington, 7:10
Fri. Jan. 9 vs. Trois-Rivières, 7:10
Sat. Jan. 10 vs. Trois-Rivières, 7:10
Sun. Jan. 11 vs. Trois-Rivières, 4:10
Fri. Jan. 16 at Norfolk, 7:05
Sat. Jan. 17 at Norfolk, 7:05
Fri. Jan. 23 vs. Reading, 7:10
Sat. Jan. 24 vs. Reading, 7:10
Sat. Jan. 25 vs. Fort Wayne, 4:10
Wed. Jan. 28 at Maine, 7:00
Fri. Jan. 30 at Worcester, 7:05
Sat. Jan. 31 at Worcester, 6:05
Sun. Feb. 1 at Worcester, 3:05
Wed. Feb. 4 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Fri. Feb. 6 vs. Indy, 7:10
Sat. Feb. 7 vs. Cincinnati, 7:10
Wed. Feb. 11 at Indy, 7:00
Fri. Feb. 13 vs. Reading, 7:10
Sat. Feb. 14 vs. Reading, 7:10
Sun. Feb. 15 vs. Reading, 4:10
Sun. Feb. 22 vs. Reading, 4:10
Fri. Feb. 27 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:10
Sat. Feb. 28 at Fort Wayne, 7:30
Sun. Mar. 1 vs. Fort Wayne, 4:10
Wed. Mar. 4 at Rapid City, 9:05
Fri. Mar. 6 at Rapid City, 9:05
Sat. Mar. 7 at Rapid City, 9:05
Wed. Mar. 11 vs. Reading, 10:45 a.m.
Fri. Mar. 13 vs. Adirondack, 7:10
Sat. Mar. 14 vs. Adirondack, 7:10
Fri. Mar. 20 at Trois-Rivières, 7:00
Sat. Mar. 21 at Trois-Rivières, 3:00
Sun. Mar. 22 at Trois-Rivières, 3:00
Fri. Mar. 27 vs. Worcester, 7:10
Sat. Mar. 28 vs. Worcester, 7:10
Sun. Mar. 29 vs. Worcester, 4:10
Wed. Apr. 1 at Fort Wayne, 7:30
Sat. Apr. 4 at Toledo, 7:15
Fri. Apr. 10 at Reading, 7:00
Sat. Apr. 11 at Reading, 7:00
Sun. Apr. 12 at Reading, 3:00