Fans in Wheeling are eager for the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs to begin next weekend, but there is still one more week of regular season hockey remaining in the ECHL. Last weekend, the Nailers clinched their first division title in 22 years by winning two of three games on the road against the Reading Royals. This week, Wheeling will look to put an exclamation point on the regular campaign with two final contests. The Nailers will visit the Toledo Walleye on Friday night, then host the Indy Fuel on Saturday night.

DIVISION CHAMPS
The Wheeling Nailers secured their fourth division championship in 34 seasons over the weekend, and they did so in thrilling fashion. Wheeling dropped the opening match of the three-game series in Reading, 3-2 on Friday. The Nailers rebounded with an explosive start on Saturday, as they scored three times during the opening 4:48, and never looked back in a fight-filled 6-2 triumph. In Sunday's finale, the Royals scored at the 12:18 mark of the first period and held the lead for 46:42, before Ryan McAllister netted the equalizer with 59.5 seconds left in the third period. That goal officially clinched the division for the Nailers. However, Wheeling wasn't content with just one point, and Blake Bennett delivered the winning marker with 56.7 seconds remaining in overtime for a 2-1 final score. Gabriel D'Aigle made 38 saves on 39 shots to earn his first win as a pro.

WHO WILL WE PLAY?
The top two teams in the North Division have locked in their positions, as the Nailers will finish first and the Maine Mariners will finish second. The Reading Royals and Adirondack Thunder have both punched their tickets to the Kelly Cup Playoffs, but the order in which they will finish will come down to their games this weekend. Wheeling will face whichever one lands in fourth place. Reading currently sits in third place with 82 points, followed by Adirondack's 81 points. If the two squads were to finish in a tie, the Royals own the tiebreaker, thanks to a 29-23 advantage in regulation wins. Reading will play two road games against the Florida Everblades, who have clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference with 104 points. Adirondack will host the sixth place Trois-Rivières Lions on Friday, then visit the fifth place Worcester Railers on Saturday and Sunday. The Nailers went 7-7-1 in 15 games against the Royals and 3-1-0 in four clashes with the Thunder this season. Wheeling and Reading have played three playoff series against each other all-time, while the Nailers and Thunder have yet to meet in the postseason.

GOING FOR TRIPLE DIGITS
While the best regular season in Wheeling hockey history (51-17-4, 106 in 2003-04) is out of reach, this year's Nailers have a chance to reach the 100-point plateau for the second time ever. Wheeling enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 46-18-6 record, which is good for 98 points. That means one win would put the club at the century mark. The 98 points are the second most in team history, while the 46 wins are tied for the second most with the 1994-95 squad. On Friday night, the Nailers will have the opportunity to tie the best road record in team history, as they currently have 22 wins and 46 points away from the Friendly City. The 2003-04 and 2005-06 teams both won 23 road games, while the 2005-06 team earned 48 points on enemy ice. One other fun number from this season is that Wheeling will end the year with 158 of 185 possible days in first place, including 155 of the final 157.

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL AGES
Three members of the Nailers achieved career milestones last week, and ironically, the three players hit those milestones in order from youngest to oldest. First up, goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle became the second youngest player in team history, when he got the start on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Cyclones. D'Aigle was 19 years and 137 days old for his professional debut. Only Tomas Vokoun was younger at 19 years and 104 days old on October 14, 1995 for the Thunderbirds. Gabriel made 16 saves in his first start, then shined with a 38-save performance to earn his first career win in Sunday's division clincher. Forward Tiernan Shoudy also made his pro debut on Tuesday, following the completion of his collegiate career at Michigan State University. Shoudy notched his first career point with an assist in Sunday's first period, then scored his first professional goal in the third period. Finally, veteran defenseman Alexander Kuqali had a pair of moments in the spotlight. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native scored his first goal in a Wheeling uniform on Saturday, then played in his 300th career ECHL game on Sunday.

MEANINGFUL GAMES ON THE OTHER SIDE
Both opponents for the Nailers this weekend could have a lot on the line, as Wheeling will wrap up its regular season slate with a pair of tilts against Central Division teams.

First, Wheeling will attempt to sweep a season series from a Toledo team for the first time ever. This is the 16th season since the Walleye started their run in the ECHL in 2009, and the Nailers and Thunderbirds faced the Toledo Storm for 15 years from 1992-2007. Wheeling has beaten the Walleye twice at Huntington Center this season - 5-2 on November 28th and 4-2 on April 4th. Friday's game may or may not have significance for Toledo, depending on what happens on Thursday night, when the Walleye visit the Fort Wayne Komets. Fort Wayne's magic number to win the Central Division is one, which would lock Toledo into second place. The Komets will also play at home on Sunday against Kalamazoo, so they will have multiple chances if needed. The Walleye have won the Central Division seven times since 2014-15, while Fort Wayne is looking for its second ECHL division title and first since 2015-16.

Finally, on Saturday, the Nailers will close out the regular season with a home game against Indy. Wheeling has earned four out of five possible points against the Fuel this season, and the last time the two teams met up, the Nailers scored twice in the final eight minutes for a 2-1 comeback triumph at Fishers Event Center. Four teams are currently battling for the last two playoff spots in the Central Division, and one of those clubs is Indy. Saturday will be the final game of the regular season for the Fuel, who are currently tied for third place with the Bloomington Bison, as both squads have 77 points. Bloomington owns the tiebreaker over Indy and will play two home games against Iowa this weekend. The Cincinnati Cyclones are in fifth place with 75 points and the Kalamazoo Wings are in sixth place with 74 points. Those two teams will play against each other twice in Cincinnati (Friday night and Saturday afternoon), so if one of those teams sweeps, Saturday would become a must-win match for Indy.

Buy Tickets for Upcoming Games
Sat. Apr. 18 - 80's Night
Fri. April 24 - North Division Semifinal Game 1
Sat. April 25 - North Division Semifinal Game 2