A pop quiz? For Nate DiCasmirro, the new head coach for Wheeling’s ECHL franchise?
“Sure,” he said. “Why not?
OK …
Will they be fast?
“Yes.”
Will they be tough?
“Yes.”
Will they fight?
“Yes.”
Will they fight a lot?
“A lot, no, but the real answer to that question is they will fight when it’s necessary.”
Will they score a lot?
“That’s the plan. That’s the blueprint we’re putting together.”
So, what kind of team do you want?
“I want a team that, on any given night, can compete against any team in the league, but not just because of one, two, or three players,” DiCasmirro said. “I am trying to build a machine because on a team, every player is a cog in that machine.
“On paper, we’ll have a first line, a second line, and so on, and I want my second line now to be able to be elevated to that first-line role if necessary,” he said. “If that happens, I want everyone to be happy for each other because that’s how a team works. I don’t want to be relying too much on some high-end guys because not everyone is on the top of their game every single night, but a team picks each other up.”
Bad Breakup
He’s aware of what’s happened with the team’s official NHL affiliation, and he gets why Wheeling fans were upset with the breakup after a 29-year love affair.
It seemed natural. It felt right. And the proximity to the Pittsburgh Penguins made it all make sense. Until it didn’t to the new ownership.
But Nate DiCasmirro is now the new head coach of the Wheeling Nailers, an ECHL franchise that is now affiliated with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. He and his staff, in fact, will travel to Columbus this Friday
“I’m looking forward to working with the folks in Cleveland and Columbus, and we’ll be heading to camp soon and that’s when we’ll really get to know the people we’ll be working with,” the new head coach explained. “How it all works will depend on the players playing on the different levels. That’s the nature of the affiliations.
“I guess some fans thought the team was going away,” DiCasmirro said. “But I can assure Nailers Nation that it’s not true because I’ve been building our team since the day I was hired back in July.”
The Nailers will host their annual “Signing Day” today beginning at 5 p.m. at Wesbanco Arena. Fans will have the chnace to DiCasmirro, a tour of the team’s lockeroom is on the agenda, the promotional schedule will be discussed, and a new signing will take place.
To date, a total of 22 players has signed the Nailers and, according to the ECHL, each team can carry a maximum of 20 players on the active roster at any one time, except for the first 30 days of the regular season when the limit is 21 players. Each team also can list two reserves during the regular season, and a five-man reserve squad is permitted for the postseason.
Wheeling’s roster will change, too, depending on the players assigned to the Nailers once preseason camps conclude, but no matter transactions take place, DiCasmirro will still know what – and who – he wants when his Nailers start the season in Indy on October 16th, and at home on October 24th against the Toledo Walleye.
“My career has taken me all over the world and I’ve watch coaches build teams all kinds of different ways,” he explained. “I’ve seen teams be the best from beginning to end, (and) I’ve seen teams play horribly at the beginning of the season and then win the title at the end. That’s because they were patient and kept building. They didn’t give up.
“I’m blown away impressed with the skill level and the speed of the game in the ECHL today,” DiCasmirro said. “Even though I never played in the ECHL, I can tell it’s come a long way since I was a professional player. The speed and skill levels both have increased a great deal, and the attention from the AHL and the NHL has increased as well.”
Rink Stink
He played 17 professional seasons with seven years in the American Hockey League and 10 seasons throughout Europe.
DiCasmirro’s resume also includes nine years as a coach, including stints in the AHL and his most recent gig as the associate coach’s position for the Graz 99ers in Austria’s ICE Hockey League.
That’s why he knows the European game moves more methodically than the American version, and that’s because the rinks are bigger so the players are more patient. But now that the Minnesota native has returned to home soil, DiCasmirro knows the game moves faster and the rinks smell differently.
Wait? The rinks “smell differently”?
“Yeah, they do.”
What does an American rink smell like?
“I can’t even put it into words.”
Popcorn?
“Maybe popcorn,” DiCasmirro said with a chuckle. “I know our arena in Wheeling has that smell. It reminds me of the days going to the North Star games with my dad.
“So, yeah, kind of a popcorn-ish smell. I do know it smells like hockey to me.”
And it’s one of several reasons why he likes his team’s home ice.
“I like the rink. It’s definitely a good size, and I’ve noticed that the Nailers have taken advantage of every inch of what we have in our area of the arena,” DiCasmirro said. “We’re making some adjustments with my office and the coaches room because I’d like all of the coaches to be in the same room so we can collaborate at any time without anyone having to move to do so.
“I think placing all of the coaches in the same room will allow us to become better friends and better coaches, and I know the players will see that and feel that. Maybe it’ll even rob off,” he said. “We’ll have our ups and downs because it’s a long season, so we’re going to have to stick together and support each other.
“That’s what I call a team.”
