ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Former Nailer Kuhnhackl Wins Stanley Cup with Penguins

June 13, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Former Wheeling Nailer Tom Kuhnhackl
Former Wheeling Nailer Tom Kuhnhackl
(Wheeling Nailers)

WHEELING, WV - For the second year in a row, a former Wheeling Nailer hoisted the Stanley Cup as a member of the National Hockey League's Championship Team. On Sunday night, that player was Tom Kuhnhackl, who did so with Wheeling's NHL affiliate, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kuhnhackl, 24, became the 55th former Wheeling player to reach the NHL on January 9th in a 3-1 Pittsburgh victory over fellow former Nailer Mike Condon and the Montreaal Canadiens. Tom never saw the minor leagues after that, as he went on to appear in 42 regular season games with the Penguins, tallying five goals, ten assists, and 15 points in 42 games. His first NHL goal came on February 20th in a home tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning, whom Pittsburgh went on to eliminate in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Landshut, Germany native was one of 11 Penguins players to appear in all 24 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he went on to post 2-3-5 totals, scoring one goal each against the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. Kuhnhackl spent parts of two seasons in Wheeling, suiting up for two games during the 2012-13 campaign, before appearing in 16 games in 2013-14, when the club reached the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. During his second year with the Nailers, Tom potted seven goals during the regular season, then added another six in the playoffs.

Tom Kuhnhackl becomes the fourth former Nailers player to win the Stanley Cup, joining David Aebischer (2001 - Colorado), Daniel Carcillo (2013, 2015 - Chicago), and Scott Darling (2015). Coaches Peter Laviolette (2006 - Carolina; Head Coach) and Tom McVie (2011 - Boston; Pro Scout), as well as Broadcaster Dave Goucher (2011 - Boston) have also won the NHL's championship trophy. Wheeling's winningest head coach in team history, Clark Donatelli, was also at SAP Center on Sunday, and was given an opportunity to raise the Stanley Cup.

The organization of Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Wheeling was the most successful in all of professional hockey in 2015-16, as the three teams combined for 36 playoff game wins and seven playoff series wins.

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Former Wheeling Nailer Tom Kuhnhackl
Former Wheeling Nailer Tom Kuhnhackl
   



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