The boys are back in town! The Wheeling Nailers will play their 2026-27 home opener Saturday night, when they tangle with the Toledo Walleye. The Nailers will take the ice in search of their fourth straight victory in a home opener, while being backed by what will likely be the fourth straight sellout crowd in a home opener. Wheeling picked up one point in last Friday's season opener, as the Indy Fuel took a 2-1 overtime decision at Fishers Event Center.

MIXING FIRE & ICE
Fans will want to make sure they stay in their seats during the intermissions on Saturday night, as they will get to enjoy a couple of incredible acts by special guest Rachel Clement. Rachel will bring the worlds of fire and ice together, as she performs with fire while skating on the ice at WesBanco Arena. Opening Night's theme is the circus, so fans will have the chance to get their faces painted, have balloon animals made, and take photos with Selfie Snaps, while playing fun games, such as the duck pond and milk bottle toss. No home opener would be complete without magnetic schedules, which every fan will receive when they enter the arena. Fans are also invited to come early to enjoy a party on the patio starting at 5:00 p.m. with live music by The Trainjumpers.

A NEW CAST OF CHARACTERS
18 of the 20 players who suited up in Friday's season opener were playing in their first games with the Nailers, with Craig Armstrong and Tristan Thompson serving as the lone returners (Mike Posma and Alexander Kuqali were not in the lineup). Neither Armstrong nor Thompson played in last year's opening match, which created the second time in the last decade (2019-20 & 2020-21) that consecutive season openers featured entirely different lineups for Wheeling. Friday's game was an extra special game for four players, who took the next step in their hockey careers. Forward Tanner Hartman and defenseman Jack Karlsson made their professional debuts, while defensemen Scott Cremen and Mitchell Haight played in their first career ECHL game.

BACK WITH OUR OLD CENTRAL COMRADES
The Nailers enjoyed a successful two-year run in the North Division, as they went 89-45-10 in 144 regular season contests, won a division title last season, and reached the conference final round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade. This season, Wheeling returns to the Central Division, where it played out of from 2018-20 and 2021-24. The club advanced to the Central Division Final Round in 2022 and 2024, thanks to playoff series wins over Indy and Fort Wayne. Between the Storm and Walleye, Wheeling has faced clubs from Toledo on 254 occasions - the most it has faced among any ECHL city. The Nailers and Cincinnati Cyclones have collided 184 times, and that number will jump to 198 with 14 head-to-head battles this year. The 100th all-time meeting between Wheeling and the Fort Wayne Komets will occur this season, while the Nailers and Indy Fuel will see their all-time number reach 98, and the Wheeling vs. Kalamazoo Wings count goes up to 97. This year will feature the squad's first-ever trip to Bloomington to face the Bison, who have visited Nail City on three occasions in their first two seasons in the league. 45 of 72 games (63%) will be played within the division.

WE THOUGHT THEY GOT LOST
The Toledo Walleye have played 61 regular season games and seven playoff contests at WesBanco Arena since returning to the ECHL in 2009. So, they are far from strangers. However, Toledo's last trip to the Friendly City was over 22 months ago on December 20, 2024. The Nailers and Walleye clashed three times last season at Huntington Center, and Wheeling was victorious in two of those for its first season series win against Toledo since 2021-22. The Walleye have finished in either first or second place in their division in each of the last 11 seasons, and have reached the Kelly Cup Final three times during that span. Toledo dropped a 6-3 decision to the Fort Wayne Komets in their season opener on Saturday. Tanner Dickinson scored twice to give the Walleye a 3-2 lead, before the Komets scored twice in a span of 41 seconds to flip the lead in their favor. Before coming here, Toledo will play at Indy on Friday. Both teams have one former member of the opposition, as Wheeling goaltender Nolan Lalonde played 22 games for the Walleye last season, while Toledo forward Brandon Hawkins was a Nailer during the 2019-20 season.

CHANGES AROUND THE ECHL
Change was one of the most commonly spoken words in Wheeling this summer, as the Nailers welcomed a new affiliate, new coaching staff, new players, and a return to an old division. Here's what else happened around the Premier Double-A Hockey League this summer. There are two new teams - the expansion New Mexico Goatheads (Colorado affiliate) and the Trenton Ironhawks (New York I. affiliate), who were relocated from Utah. Divisional numbers remain the same - eight teams in the North and Mountain, seven teams in the Central and South. In addition to Wheeling, there are new affiliations in Bloomington (Winnipeg), Florida (Pittsburgh), Jacksonville (Minnesota), and Worcester (St. Louis). Norfolk is independent, while Buffalo, New York R., and Utah are the three NHL teams without an ECHL affiliate. Nate DiCasmirro is one of six brand new head coaches in the ECHL, while two head coaches switched teams, and one head coach returns to an old stomping ground.

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Opening Night Circus - Sat. Oct. 24th