The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced the details of their five future considerations trades.
The Nailers have acquired the rights to forward Trevor Gooch from the Reading Royals, which completes the trade that sent defenseman Patrick McNally to Reading, and also saw defenseman David Drake come to Wheeling. Gooch is coming off an outstanding season, as he finished third in the ECHL with 34 goals, and ranked second on the Royals with 61 points. This was Trevor’s second season with Reading and third as a pro, as he spent the 2020-21 campaign with the Vipiteno Sterzing Broncos. The 27-year old native of Mantua, New Jersey played college hockey at Colorado College.
The Nailers have acquired the rights to defenseman Samuel Thibault from the Norfolk Admirals, which completes the trade that sent defenseman Alex Stevens to Norfolk. Thibault just completed his fourth pro season, as he collected four goals, 11 assists, 15 points, and 110 penalty minutes in 68 games. While Samuel has spent the majority of his career in the ECHL, he also appeared in two AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors in 2017-18. The 25-year old native of Ste. Martine, Québec played junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
The Nailers have acquired the rights to forward Andrew Romano from the Maine Mariners, which completes the trade that sent goaltender Stefanos Lekkas to Maine. Romano notched four goals and five points in 26 games during his first ECHL season, after he started his pro career in the SPHL in 2020-21. The 26-year old native of Drexel Hill Pennsylvania played college hockey at SUNY-Geneseo.
The Nailers have acquired the rights to defenseman Pavel Vorobei from the Jacksonville Icemen, which completes the trade that sent forward Brendan Harris to Jacksonville. Vorobei tallied seven goals, six assists, and 13 points in 32 games during his first season in North America. The 24-year old native of Minsk, Belarus had previously played in parts of four seasons in the KHL, in addition to part of one season in Finland’s SM-liiga.
The Nailers have traded the rights to goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon to the Trois-Rivières Lions, which completes the transaction that saw the Laval Rocket loan forward Cédric Desruisseaux to Wheeling, and the Nailers send Jesse Lees to Trois-Rivières. Guindon went 9-5-2 with a 2.74 goals against average and a .906 save percentage in 17 regular season games, then earned all four of the team’s postseason victories in the first round series triumph against Fort Wayne. The 27-year old native of Montréal, Québec played junior hockey in the QMJHL, then attended McGill University.
The next key offseason date is June 15th, when teams submit their Season Ending Rosters. Teams may begin signing players on June 16th for the 2022-23 season.
