Ryan Papaioannou was named Head Coach of the Wheeling Nailers on August 14, 2025.

Papaioannou, 41, served as the head coach and general manager of the Brooks Bandits for the past 16 seasons, and enjoyed outstanding success, as the team played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the British Columbia Hockey League. Under Ryan's leadership, the Bandits captured seven AJHL Championships (2011-12, 2012-13, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23), one BCHL Championship (2024-25), four Centennial/RBC Cup Championships (2012-13, 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23) as the national champion of Junior "A," a Western Canada Cup (2016-17) as the Junior "A" champion from western Canada, and a Rocky Mountain Challenge (2023-24) as the champion of Alberta.

The Calgary, Alberta native posted a remarkable record of 907-217-48 in 1,172 career games as the head coach of the Bandits. Those numbers equate to a .774 winning percentage and a .794 points percentage. Brooks earned at least 50 wins in a season six times, topped by a 57-3-0 mark during the 2018-19 campaign. That year, Papaioannou's Bandits finished the regular season with a 33-game winning streak. The team followed that up by starting the 2019-20 regular season with 22 straight victories, which created a 55-game regular season winning streak between the two years. The 2018-19 season was one of three times that Ryan was recognized as AJHL Coach of the Year, as he also earned that honor in 2012-13 and 2021-22.

Ryan will be moving to Wheeling with his family. He and his wife Jordana have two sons - ten-year old Ambrose and five-year old Calix.

Evan McFeeters was named as Roving Minor League Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 27, 2025.

As part of his role, McFeeters will be a member of the Penguins’ player development department, supporting Ryan Papaioannou’s coaching staff with the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) as well as Kirk McDonald’s staff with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). He will also assist the player development staff with the on and off the ice development of all prospects and players within the Penguins’ organization.

McFeeters, 37, joins the Penguins with over 15 years of coaching experience at various levels, spending last season with the Prairie Hockey Academy’s U18 Prep squad. Prior to that, he spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, where he coached Penguins 2024 second-round draft pick Tanner Howe.

McFeeters also spent parts of eight seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) from 2016-23, split between Canmore Eagles, Brooks Bandits and Sherwood Park Crusaders. He held the dual role of Head Coach and Assistant General Manager with Sherwood from 2022-23. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Coach/Assistant General Manager on Ryan Papaioannou’s staff with Brooks from 2020-22, helping the Bandits win an AJHL and Centennial Cup championship. McFeeters got his start in the AJHL with his hometown Canmore Eagles where he assumed the role of Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager from 2016-20.

A native of Canmore, Alberta, McFeeters represented his country as an Assistant Coach for Canada West at the 2022 World Junior A Challenge.

Karel Popper was named as Goaltending Coach of the Nailers on August 19, 2024.

Prior to joining the Nailers, Popper spent three seasons as an Assistant Coach for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. The Steel finished in the top-two in the USHL for overall record twice, and they qualified for the playoffs all three seasons Popper was with the club. The Mainville, Ohio native also served as the Men’s and Women’s Goaltending Coach at the University of Minnesota (2018-21) and as the Assistant Coach of Ohio State Women’s team in 2016-17.

Bill Higgins grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was an avid fan of the Thunderbirds and Nailers. A graduate of Wheeling Park High School, Higgins began his career with the Nailers as an assistant equipment manager, before being promoted to the head role in 2003. Bill is the only member of the organization to ever work 1,000 games, as he reached that milestone during the 2016-17 season. He will work his 1,500th game on November 2nd. Other notable career accomplishments for Higgins include working the 2007 ECHL All-Star Classic in Boise, Idaho, and being named the 2013-14 ECHL Equipment Manager of the Year. 2024-25 will be Higgins' 22nd season as the team's equipment manager.

Cole Koontz was named Athletic Trainer of the Nailers on August 19, 2025.

Prior to being named to the role as the head athletic trainer, Koontz spent three seasons with the organization, as he worked as a student athletic trainer in 2021-22, then served as an assistant athletic trainer from 2023-25.

Cole's path to the Nailers was created through his studies, as he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Athletic Training from West Liberty University. He worked with six different teams for the Hilltoppers, including the men's basketball team, which won two MEC Championships at WesBanco Arena.

Koontz furthered his education by studying Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh. Cole gained valuable experience through the university, thanks to a 15-week clinical with the Providence Bruins, which gave him the opportunity to work an NHL preseason game in Boston.

A native of Sherrard, West Virginia, Koontz is the third Ohio Valley native to become Wheeling's athletic trainer, following current West Liberty University Professor Dr. David Hanna and current Iowa Wild Athletic Trainer Daniel Barker.