The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced their 2024 training camp schedule and roster.
The Nailers will open their 2024 training camp on Saturday, October 5th at 1:00 p.m., and the first practice is expected to last one hour until 2:00. The next day, Sunday, October 6th, will have an earlier start time, as the practice will run from 9:10-10:20 a.m. The team will go away from the ice on Monday, October 7th for a team building activity with the United States Air Force Special Warfare. Practices from Tuesday, October 8th through Friday, October 11th will have similar structures.
For those days, the team will be split into two groups. One group will practice from 10:00-10:45, then the other group will practice from 11:30-12:15, and there will be small area games featuring both groups from 10:45-11:15. Groups will alternate who skates first each day. Finally, Saturday, October 12th is game day, as Wheeling will host Cincinnati at 6:10. The game group will take the ice first at 10:00, followed by the non-game group at 11:00. All practices are open to the public, and fans must stay in the seating bowl, as ice level access is not permitted. The preseason game is free to attend with open seating.
Head Coach Derek Army and Assistant Coach Mitch Giguere have compiled a roster of 11 forwards, six defensemen, and three goaltenders for a total of 20 players. Ten of the players are currently in Wheeling, and will begin training camp on Saturday. The remaining ten are currently attending American Hockey League training camps, with nine in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and one in Hartford.
Starting in the goal crease, there are three netminders on the training camp roster. Jaxon Castor enjoyed great success in his rookie season with the Nailers, as he posted a 10-4-1 record, a 2.71 goals against average, and an .899 save percentage in 16 regular season games. Castor followed that up with a stellar performance in the opening round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, as he allowed just five total goals in four straight wins over the Indy Fuel. Kristian Hufsky played the first five seasons of his professional career in Germany, and is coming off of a trip to the finals with EC Kassel in the DEL-2 last season. Mentor, Ohio’s Jake Zab attended training camp in Wheeling last season, after he attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
On the blueline, veteran David Drake will become the 19th player in team history to play in parts of four seasons in a Wheeling uniform. Drake has been relied upon for his play in the defensive zone, which he has excelled at, as evidenced by his +30 rating over the course of the last two campaigns. Louie Roehl also brings a steady game and leadership to the back end, as he was one of the club’s alternate captains a year ago. Part of that leadership for Roehl comes from winning two NCAA National Championships. Chris Ortiz returns to the Nailers after spending last season with the Trois-Rivières Lions. Ortiz has 107 career points in the ECHL, and his best offensive season was a 12-goal, 38-point effort with Wheeling in his rookie season of 2021-22.
Zachary Massicotte is new to the squad, but not new to the league, as he has appeared in 96 ECHL games with the Allen Americans and Orlando Solar Bears. One of Massicotte’s career highlights was winning a QMJHL Championship with his hometown Shawningan Cataractes. Owen Norton saw 26 games of ECHL action with the Norfolk Admirals and Newfoundland Growlers in 2023-24, while Jamie Dorsey isn’t afraid to mix things up, as he received 117 penalty minutes in 45 SPHL clashes with Macon and Fayetteville.
Shifting up to the forwards, Jordan Martel is looking to have another exceptional season in a Wheeling uniform, after he turned on the red light 29 times in 45 games. Martel was acquired in a trade with the Utah Grizzlies in December. Matthew Quercia handled a variety of roles last season, and filled up all of the statistical columns, as he recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, and 152 penalty minutes.
That was after Quercia missed the entire 2022-23 campaign due to a preseason injury. Matt Koopman was the only player on the club who played in all 71 regular season games, and he contributed 34 points – six of which came shorthanded to tie for the lead in the ECHL. Another player who shined as a rookie was David Jankowski, who led all first-year Nailers forwards with 37 points, and played in all but two contests. The forward crew also has a player returning from a previous season, as Nick Hutchison spent last year in Europe. Hutchison averaged over a point-per-game with Wheeling in 2021-22, before finishing that docket in the AHL. Wheeling, West Virginia’s Peter Laviolette III will begin his third season in his hometown.
Laviolette is currently 45 games away from matching Bryan Ewing for the most pro games by a Wheeling native. Jared Westcott adjusted quickly to the professional game in the spring, as he finished his college career at Lake Superior State, then promptly racked up six points in six games for the Nailers. Dustin Manz also came to town right before the playoffs, and posted a two-goal performance in his third game with Wheeling. Filip Forsmark got a quick two-game sampler of the league from the Allen Americans, following his four-year collegiate career at Merrimack College. Jianing “Rex” Guo will look to become the first Chinese player in team history.
Guo played in the 2022 Winter Olympics, and scored twice in three games during Olympic qualifying this summer. Alex LaPlante was named to the 2023-24 SPHL All-Rookie Team, as he led the Macon Mayhem with 26 goals and 43 points.
2024 Wheeling Nailers Training Camp Roster
#5 D David Drake
#7 D Owen Norton
#10 F Dustin Manz
#12 F Nick Hutchison
#16 F Alex LaPlante
#17 F Jianing “Rex” Guo
#24 D Jamie Dorsey
#28 D Louie Roehl
#30 G Jake Zab
#31 G Kristian Hufsky
ECHL Contracts Currently Attending AHL Training Camps
#11 F Peter Laviolette III (Hartford)
#14 F David Jankowski (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#15 F Jared Westcott (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#18 D Chris Ortiz (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#22 F Matthew Quercia (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#27 F Filip Forsmark (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#29 D Zachary Massicotte (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#39 F Matt Koopman (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#40 G Jaxon Castor (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
#51 F Jordan Martel (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
2024 Wheeling Nailers Training Camp Schedule
Sat. Oct. 5- Practice at WesBanco Arena, 1:00 p.m.
Sun. Oct. 6- Practice at WesBanco Arena, 9:10 a.m.
Mon. Oct. 7- No Practice (United States Air Force Special Warfare)
Tue. Oct. 8- Group 1 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 10:00 a.m.
Groups 1 & 2 Small Games at WesBanco Arena, 10:45 a.m.
Group 2 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 11:30 a.m.
Wed. Oct. 9- Group 2 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 10:00 a.m.
Groups 1 & 2 Small Games at WesBanco Arena, 10:45 a.m.
Group 1 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 11:30 a.m.
Thu. Oct. 10- Group 1 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 10:00 a.m.
Groups 1 & 2 Small Games at WesBanco Arena, 10:45 a.m.
Group 2 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 11:30 a.m.
Fri. Oct. 11- Group 2 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 10:00 a.m.
Groups 1 & 2 Small Games at WesBanco Arena, 10:45 a.m.
Group 1 Practice at WesBanco Arena, 11:30 a.m.
Sat. Oct. 12- Morning Skate at WesBanco Arena, 10:00 a.m.
Practice (non-game players) at WesBanco Arena, 11:00 a.m.
Preseason Game vs. Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.
