After dropping both games last weekend to Ft. Wayne to extend their losing streak to seven, the Nailers finally found their way back into the win column Wednesday with an 8-4 win over Norfolk. As we enter the home stretch, what do you expect to see from the Nailers the rest of the way?
Boy, I’ll tell you, going from thinking there’s a chance to get back into the playoff picture to just barely being alive mathematically isn’t how I expected things to go the last couple weeks.
Think back to the first week of March, when the Nailers had just taken two of three from this same Admirals team here in Wheeling and, with Ft. Wayne having lost six of their last seven games, and you couldn’t help but think the team was very alive, only five standings points back of the Komets. Since then, the Nailers have completely imploded, losers of seven straight (including three against the team they were trying to catch up to and pass in the standings), while Ft. Wayne has managed to go 4-1 over the same stretch and make their lead a seemingly insurmountable 11 points with Wheeling only having 13 games left this season compared to the Komets’ 15 games. At this point, even if the Nailers win every game left on their schedule and finish up with 79 standings points, they would need Ft. Wayne to go 7-8 down the stretch with every loss being in regulation to even have a chance.
Just to get back to .500 on the season, the Nailers need to go at least 9-3-1 the rest of the way, which looks almost impossible with how they have been playing since we entered March.
That being said, while I do expect to see Wheeling finish the season below .500 and miss the playoffs at this point, what I really want to see coming down the stretch is a competitive hockey team playing a strong team game. I feel like that’s what has been lacking these last couple of weeks. I’ve seen forwards move up ice early hoping to create for themselves before ensuring possession in their own zone. I’ve seen defensemen being pulled out of position too easily and giving up good scoring chances and not sticking to what brought them success earlier in the season. I’ve seen goaltending that has been subpar at best, not hugging posts when the puck goes low and giving up way too many juicy rebounds that the other team was able to capitalize on.
I’ve seen a power play that is too happy to pass the puck around then lose possession without even getting a shot on goal. I’ve seen a penalty kill that spends too much time chasing the puck instead of insulating the net and protecting the house.
So, what’s the cause of all of this, and what’s the fix? It feels like it comes down to leadership on the team, and lack thereof. Guys aren’t being held accountable by their teammates for playing sloppy hockey. Guys are working for their own game rather than focusing on what the team needs from them to succeed. I know Wheeling has lost a lot of guys throughout this season, guys that were expected to be those leaders. Well, when that happens, someone else must be ready to step into that spot and show the other players what is expected of them. I’ve seen bits and pieces of it, but not enough and not consistently.
Someone on this team really needs to be the one to pull it together, and without that, we’ve seen what we’re going to get from this roster. If someone is willing to do that, and show this team how to play team hockey again, I expect to see enough success on the ice to give me hope going into the offseason for next year.
The Nailers have begun making some roster moves, shipping Carter Johnson to the Maine Mariners for their playoff run in exchange for Keltie Jeri-Leon. What do moves like this mean to the team and what you will see from them at this point in the year?
Hearing that your team is moving players to teams that are in playoff contention is generally a sign that they realize they’re not making that sort of run themselves. Especially when we’re giving up players like Carter Johnson, who I openly admitted was my favorite player on the team due to how he played the game, Luke Santerno, who was sent to Kansas City, and Sean Josling, who was sent to Florida on Wednesday. Seeing these moves makes you wonder what could have been this year if they could have played to their fullest potential, especially seeing as teams who do have their own playoff races to worry about want them for this stretch.
They obviously see the skill there and want them for this time, and it would have been nice to be in that position and be the team looking to bring guys in to lock it down. Losing skill guys is never a good feeling at this point for the fans who have grown attached to the guys they like on the team just to watch them go.
However, I must say I’m also excited for what the Nailers were able to turn these moves into. First, they were able to bring back Shaw Boomhower in the trade with the Mavericks, who had a good season last year here in Wheeling and may be looking to get back to what he was so successful at during his first stint in the Friendly City. In the Maine move, the Nailers were able to add Jeri-Leon who, to this point in the season, has managed to contribute 19 points in 38 games played, and has also seen time in the AHL last season with the Providence Bruins and the Abbotsford Canucks.
That shows me that this young man has the skill to perform at a level that is worthy of AHL looks, so I’d love to see what he could do with a full season here in Wheeling to show his full range of skills.
Another important thing to consider is that the Canadian college hockey season recently came to an end, and the NCAA season here in the United States is close to finishing. Wheeling historically has been very successful in bringing in strong collegiate players to give them a chance to adjust to playing at a pro level, and this season should be no exception.
As college seasons end, young players become available, and there’s no reason they couldn’t come here to Wheeling to show what they can do at this level. In addition to them, Wheeling also holds “future considerations” from Maine, Worchester, and Florida due to previous trades, meaning the Nailers will get to select players from each of those teams that are on a preapproved list, and that could lead to some really good players come back this way. Overall, while it hurts to see this happen for this season’s team, it definitely gives hope leading into the 2023-24 season.
As you said in your last answer, the team appears to be gearing up to see what they could have for the 2023-24 season now with some of the moves they’re making. Based on that as well as what you’re seeing from the guys still on the team coming down the stretch, what are your expectations now for what we should see here in Wheeling next year?
I couldn’t help but notice that, with the moves listed above, the Nailers were able to bring in younger guys that I can’t help but think they expect to have a chance to keep around for next year. Boomhower is 24 (in exchange for 26 year old Santerno), Jeri-Leon is 23 (while Johnson is 27), and some of the young men who will be added in the coming weeks will be in their early 20’s as well. Adding a little youth will do multiple things: it will inject the room with the energy of these kids hoping to showcase their skills, while pushing the guys who have been here to work harder to keep their spots the rest of the way and possibly into next year.
I think this is exactly what you have to hope for when your team is at the point that Wheeling is at now. Pushing guys to play hard to stay in the lineup while injecting that youthful energy will hopefully allow the Nailers to have some success over the final month of the season.
As for how this could affect things going into next year, obviously there are a number of things that can happen between now and then that will affect that. Players will move on from Wheeling if they think that’s the best move for them. The Nailers will continue to bring in other guys who they think will work well under Coach Army’s style and teaching to hopefully turn things around here and make them back into a playoff team. But hopefully, they see something here before the end of the year that allows them to make those decisions now to be ready for the offseason and the new league year. I want to see someone step in and take the leadership opportunity and run with it.
I want to see these young guys come to Wheeling hungry to continue their pro careers and earn a chance with the Nailers beyond this abbreviated period. While I haven’t seen what they’re going to do here yet, I expect to see fierce play from these guys, and it definitely gives me hope for next year if they continue to work to build off of whatever they’re able to do during the offseason.
With Carter Johnson moving on to play for Maine, who on the roster now gets the Jeff Yost “kiss of death,” aka being known as your “favorite player on the team?”
In my defense, I choose not to see it as a “kiss of death,” but rather an appreciation for a player who plays the game the right way. A guy who is able to contribute all the way around, provide offense, have a strong 200 foot game in all three zones on the ice, and do what is asked of them when they go over the boards.
I see it as a guy who shows that he makes the effort that teams in a playoff position think will help get them over the edge and help them be successful the rest of the way and hopefully hoisting a trophy after the final game. A player who has the skills that could help them reach higher levels and advance beyond the ECHL, hopefully to the AHL or even to the NHL someday. If you want to look at it as a “kiss of death” for their time here with the Nailers, that’s your prerogative.
Looking at the current roster, there are still a number of guys I could choose from, but I think the one I appreciate the most of the guys who are here is Cedric Desruisseaux.
He definitely provides that offensive pop, with 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points while playing in all 59 games thus far this season. He has shown up pretty well on the power play this year also, contributing five goals and seven assists with the man advantage. He also plays the game the right way and has only accumulated 10 penalty minutes to this point.
The one area I think he could use a little focus on would be in the defensive zone. I’m not saying he doesn’t work hard there, but something that he could be better at going into next year would be creating his offensive chances in the defensive zone and then turning it into his play moving forward. If he could do that, there’s no question he would deserve a look from the next level.
Honorable mention for this has to go to Tyler Drevitch. He has managed to more than triple the number of goals from last season, going from five in 2021-22 to 16 to this point of this season, while also playing in all 59 games to date. He manages to play the game with a bit of an edge, but that’s also the point where he needs to work to clean up his game some.
Drevitch has managed to earn 139 penalty minutes already, after earning 112 penalty minutes in only 45 games last year. Things like that won’t fly at higher levels for the most part. I know teams like to have guys who are pests or grinders or who are able to play their game on that line. But earning well over 100 penalty minutes in so few games means you’re effectively handcuffing your team at least once per game. If he is able to clean this up a little and not find himself in the box as much next year, I think he has a good chance at being very successful here in the Friendly City.
The Nailers game next Friday against Kalamazoo will have a very special event, as Peter Laviolette and Brock Woods are inducted in the Nailer Hall of Fame. How excited are you for this moment and do you look forward to being in attendance for it?
Nostalgia is definitely a wonderful thing when it comes to moments like this. Being able to remember their impact on the Thunderbirds/Nailers franchise by seeing it firsthand helps fans like me appreciate the fact that they’re being recognized by the franchise. I personally can remember seeing Brock Woods play on the ice across the three seasons spent on the ice here in Wheeling with the then-Thunderbirds, and he was a very strong player on the ice.
His numbers were never that eye-catching (the most he had in a year was 46 points in 64 games played, and he finished with 122 points in 193 games played in the red and black), but he served as the captain of the team, and he led by example on the ice. You knew that, when he was on the ice, he wasn’t going to back down from a challenge, he would do everything he could to make the play for his team, and his 639 penalty minutes shows that he played with that edge that can be really appreciated at this level. He played on teams with players like Tim Tisdale, Darren Schwartz, and Tim Roberts on the back end with him, and yet Woods still sticks out in my mind as one of the best players on those teams, and I definitely think this honor is well deserved.
As for Coach Laviolette, having the chance to see a guy work his way from coaching here in Wheeling to being a Stanley Cup winning head coach with the Carolina Hurricanes (who now unfortunately coaches the Washington Capitals) has been an amazing experience. Although he only spent one season here with the Nailers, it was a very successful year, with the team going 37-24-9 and eventually losing in the conference finals to the Hampton Roads Admirals, who went on to win the championship that year.
Laviolette has seen success at every level he’s be able to coach at, and he also stands as the winningest American born coach in NHL history, just head of John Tortorella, which makes me like him even more. Knowing that he got his start right here in Wheeling really does make it special that he has been able to accomplish everything that he has.
Having the chance to recognize people who helped contribute to the history of hockey here in Wheeling in their own ways is definitely a wonderful occasion. With how many years this franchise has been here now, and how many more years they will continue to be, it’s always a good feeling when you have a chance to look back at moments and people who were such wonderful contributors and have led to what we have here now.
I’ve always prided myself on my ability to be appreciative of what has happened in order to shape what is currently going on, and I think a moment like this should be cherished. I look forward to getting to see this personally, and I really hope everyone else gets to come down to Wesbanco Arena and take part in it as well.
