Hockey Operations

Coaches

TBA

Head Coach

Mitch Giguere

Assistant Coach

Mitch Giguere was named Assistant Coach of the Wheeling Nailers on August 24, 2023.

Giguere, 37, has held a wide variety of roles in hockey over the past decade, as he has served as a coach, general manager, scout, and team consultant. Mitch began his coaching journey in 2008 when his playing career ended, and has since advanced to coach in prestigious leagues such as the Kontinental Hockey League, the Québec Major Junior Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. One of his greatest accomplishments came in 2021-22, when he returned to North America with Longueuil Collège-Français and won the Napa Cup as a QJHL Champion. Giguere also earned a certified Canadian Sport Institute Advanced Coaching Diploma, which took two years of studying to achieve.

In addition to the team successes he has enjoyed, the Montréal, Québec native has also played a large role in developing players, and seeing those players reach the highest levels of professional hockey. One of the most recent players Mitch coached was Pittsburgh Penguins 2022 first round draft pick Owen Pickering, when Pickering was an Elite 15 at RINK Hockey Academy, with fellow NHL draft picks Daimon Gardner and Josh Filmon. Giguere has also had the opportunity to coach current Penguin Sam Poulin, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard of the Montréal Canadiens, and Edmonton Oilers prospect Olivier Rodrigue. Hockey Québec is another organization that Mitch has been heavily involved with, and that led to him working with Stanley Cup Champion Samuel Girard and Los Angeles Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Mitch and his wife Audrey live in St. Clairsville, Ohio with their four children - daughters Maxim (15), Alexe (13), and Leoni (7), and son Louis (5).

Karel Popper

Goaltending Coach

Equipment & Training Staff

Bill Higgins

Equipment Manager

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.