While the hockey season approaches its midway mark, we have arrived in a new calendar year, and the Wheeling Nailers already have a pair of victories in 2026. The Nailers took down the Worcester Railers and Bloomington Bison over the weekend to bring their season record to 22-7-1, which is good for 45 points. Wheeling has a seven-point lead over Adirondack in the North Division and a two-point edge over Florida for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Three more games at WesBanco Arena are on tap for this weekend, as the Trois-Rivières Lions will be here for all of them.

THE FANTASTIC 304
Area code 304 has treated the Nailers well this year, as they enter this weekend's three-game set with an 11-2-1 record on their home ice. The Nailers would like to keep that number trending in the right direction, while fans enjoy two traditional favorite promotions in addition to a new theme. Friday's game will be a Frosty Friday featuring select $2 beers, and after Sunday's match, fans will have the opportunity to skate with the even-numbered players. Saturday night is the highlight game of the weekend, as it is Marvel Night. The Nailers will wear specialty jerseys with a Fantastic Four Theme and a 304 twist. There will also be a Marvel poster giveaway to the first 2,500 fans, plus there will be superhero activities in the lobby.

WAY TO BOUNCE BACK
The Nailers will look back at the 2025 calendar year very fondly, as they earned 42 wins in 77 games between the regular season and the playoffs. However, the final day of the year was one to forget quickly, as Wheeling dropped a 7-2 decision to Worcester on New Year's Eve. The Nailers exacted their revenge on the Railers two days later with a 3-2 triumph, as Logan Pietila scored twice and Randy Hernández netted the eventual game winning goal in the third period. Wheeling snagged another win the following day by beating Bloomington, 4-1. That tilt featured two shorthanded goals by the Nailers - one each from Craig Armstrong and Pietila, in addition to even strength goals by Aidan Sutter and Jack Works. Taylor Gauthier made 61 saves on 64 shots to earn both victories in goal. One of the most impressive stats of the week was that Wheeling allowed just one even strength goal in the three games combined. On the other hand, an alarming stat was that the Nailers went to the penalty kill 21 times in the three games, which accounts for 42% of their trips to the penalty kill at home all season.

CENTURY CLUB MEMBERS
Two Wheeling players appeared in their 100th professional games over the weekend, and another one is poised to do so this coming weekend. On Friday night, forward Ryan Mahshie reached triple digits, and he did so against his former team, the Worcester Railers. Mahshie is enjoying his best success as a pro with the Nailers, as he has 12 points in 27 games, after registering nine points in his previous 74 tilts with three other teams. On Saturday, the milestone night belonged to forward Matty De St. Phalle, who has played in 75 ECHL games and 25 AHL contests to add up to 100 pro. De St. Phalle has ten points in 13 games with Wheeling this season, after leading the club with 55 points a year ago. Connor Lockhart is on pace to be the next Nailer to play in his 100th professional match, as he enters the weekend with 98 career games played. Lockhart is tied for second on the team with 20 points, after posting a 30-point campaign as a rookie in 2024-25 with Bloomington.

MORE ACHIEVEMENTS TO RECOGNIZE
There has been a lot to celebrate with this year's team, and it's time to point out a few more notable accomplishments... The ECHL announced its 2026 All-Star Team on Wednesday, and rookie defenseman Brent Johnson was Wheeling's selection with 20 points in 30 games... Goaltender Taylor Gauthier recently represented Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. On Saturday, Gauthier played in his 93rd game as a Nailer, passing Peter Delmas for second among netminders in team history. Taylor's 54 wins trail Andy Franck by six for the top spot... Matthew Quercia received his 440th penalty minute in a Wheeling uniform on Friday, which moved him passed Ryan Schnell into tenth on the team's all-time list. Next up on that list are Curtiss Patrick (471) and Rob Trumbley (485)... Max Graham, Brayden Edwards, and Zach Urdahl were all recalled by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the first time last week, with Edwards making his AHL debut on Saturday. 14 players from Wheeling's 2025-26 roster have also spent time in the AHL this season.

BRING ON THE CHAMPS
For the first time this season, the Nailers will face the 2025 Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivières Lions, as the two teams will play three of their six head-to-head meetings this weekend. Trois-Rivières currently has ten players on its roster who appeared in at least one postseason game during the spring. This season, the Lions find themselves in a tie for fourth place in the North Division with a 13-11-3 record, good for 29 points. Trois-Rivières has been a streaky squad, as it is currently mired in a three-game losing streak, which came on the heels of a three-game winning streak. Anthony Beauregard led the Lions with 67 points a year ago, and he is topping his team once again with 20 points. Another scorer to watch is Joel Teasdale, who has played in two career NHL games, and has ten points in ten games since joining Trois-Rivières. The Lions also have a former Nailer in Cédric Desruisseaux, who has nine points in 22 games since returning to North America. Hunter Jones (8-2-0, 1.90, .922) is currently with the AHL's Laval Rocket, so Benjamin Gaudreau (5-7-3, 2.54, .911) has handled the lion's share of the work in the crease. Wheeling and Trois-Rivières split their season series 3-3 last year, with each team winning twice on the road.

Buy Tickets for Upcoming Games
Fri. Jan. 9 - Frosty Friday
Sat. Jan. 10 - Marvel Night
Sun. Jan. 11 - Post Game Skate (Even)