WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers are excited to announce their eighth player signing of the 2026 offseason. Wheeling has signed forward Justin Taylor to an ECHL contract.

Taylor, 37, is ready to begin his 17th professional season, and is coming off of a year which saw him set the ECHL record for most career games played. Justin played in his 885th career contest to take over the top spot on December 13th against the Nailers. He enters this season with 935 ECHL games played, as well as 25 AHL matches for a grand total of 960 professional games. 2025-26 marked the 11th time that Taylor scored 20 or more goals in a season, as he finished the campaign fourth in scoring for the Adirondack Thunder with 20 goals, 19 assists, and 39 points in 68 games. Wheeling will be Justin's seventh ECHL team, as he has also suited up with Kalamazoo, Trenton, Idaho, Tulsa, Fort Wayne, and Adirondack.

The Mindemoya, Ontario native has spent the majority of his playing career with the Kalamazoo Wings, as he played for them during 13 of his first 14 pro seasons, and served as the team's captain in 2021-22. Taylor's most productive seasons came in consecutive years, as he set a career high with 61 points in 2016-17, then set a career high in goals one year later, when he turned on the red light 35 times in 2017-18.

Justin's teams have qualified for the postseason in 11 of his 17 years as a pro. 56 of his 80 career playoff games were played with Kalamazoo, which included a trip to the Kelly Cup Final in his rookie season of 2010-11. The Wings reached the Eastern Conference Final again the following year, then Taylor reached the Western Conference Final in 2012-13 as a member of the Idaho Steelheads. This past spring, he led Adirondack with four goals and seven points in the North Division Semifinal Series against Maine, which included scoring the overtime goal in game five to force the series back to Portland.

When Taylor makes his debut with the Nailers, he will become the fourth player in the ECHL's top-six in career games played to have suited up for Wheeling. The other three are Michael Pelech (2nd - 884), Garet Hunt (5th - 776), and Louis Dumont (6th - 771).

Justin Taylor and the Wheeling Nailers will begin the 2026-27 season in Indy on Friday, October 16th. The first home game is Saturday, October 24th against the Toledo Walleye. For information about season tickets, group tickets, ticket packages, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL or visit wheelingnailers.com. 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.