Nailers Announce 2026 Playoff Roster
ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Announce 2026 Playoff Roster

Published on April 21, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING, WV - The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced their roster for the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The roster consists of 23 players and two open spots for two of seven eligible players who are currently in the American Hockey League. The current roster consists of 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders.

The two goaltenders are at very different stages in their professional careers. Taylor Gauthier rewrote the record books for Wheeling this season, as he set the team's career records for wins (71), games played (124), and shutouts (10). Gauthier finished tied for first in the ECHL with a .929 save percentage, third with a 2.09 goals against average, and posted his second season with at least 20 wins, despite not making his season debut until December 6th. Joining Taylor in the crease will be 2025 Pittsburgh Penguins third round draft pick Gabriel D'Aigle. The 19-year-old stopped 38 of 39 shots to earn his first professional victory on April 12th in Wheeling's North Division clincher, then followed that up with a 44-save effort in the final game of the regular season. The Nailers finished third in the ECHL with a 2.43 team goals against average, which was also the third lowest in team history.

The most decorated player on the roster this season was the team's top scoring defenseman, Brent Johnson. The former Ohio State University Buckeye was selected to represent the Nailers at the 2026 ECHL All-Star Classic, then got named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team, as he led all rookie blueliners with 55 points. He was also the only Wheeling player to appear in all 72 regular season contests. Another defender who had a strong offensive season was Tristan Thompson. Tristan began the year with 14 points in 33 games as a member of the Maine Mariners, then accumulated 17 points in 31 matches with the Nailers. Thompson's 261 ECHL games are second most on the team, trailing only veteran blueliner Alexander Kuqali's 302. A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, Kuqali will play in his third ECHL postseason and first since 2019 with the Orlando Solar Bears. The best +/- among the team's defensemen belonged to alternate captain David Breazeale, who posted a +19 rating. Breazeale had 19 points in 57 ECHL games and added four points and a +8 rating in the AHL. 2023 third round draft pick Emil Pieniniemi began his first season in North America on New Year's Eve, and finished second among Wheeling blueliners by lighting the lamp six times in 26 games. Pieniniemi is the first season of his NHL entry level contract, as is fellow defender Daniel Laatsch. The Wisconsin native and former University of Wisconsin Badger registered 11 points and a +12 rating in 29 games with the Nailers. Rounding out the defense is Aidan Sutter, who has spent the most time in Wheeling among the seven, as he first joined the team last February.

Shifting up front to the forwards, nobody on the team has more professional playoff experience than captain Matthew Quercia. The game seven hero of the 2022 Central Division Semifinal Series will be playing in his fourth postseason with the Nailers. Quercia is coming off of his third straight 33-point campaign, and his 51 career regular season goals rank 15th all-time. Connor Lockhart was acquired just days before the season in a trade with the Bloomington Bison, and proceeded to rack up 21 goals and 55 points to lead the way among players who spent the full season with Wheeling. Another player who enjoyed a change of scenery this season was Craig Armstrong, who crushed his rookie totals with the Utah Grizzlies, as he had 35 points in 68 games. Armstrong was also the team leader in +/- at +29. In addition to becoming a new father earlier this month, Logan Pietila was a changed man this season. Pietila doubled his goal total from his rookie season with 18 and finished with 49 points. Joining Logan as a second year Nailer is Matty De St. Phalle, whose late season surge brought his point total to 37, which was the third highest among those whose lone ECHL stop was Wheeling. The Nailers added two key pieces to their offense in the latter stages of the campaign. First, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed Ryan McAllister, who had 72 games of AHL experience with the Charlotte Checkers. McAllister finished the regular season at over a point-per-game clip with Wheeling, as he collected 25 points in 24 games. The Nailers and Penguins then worked together on a trade that brought Blake Bennett to town from the Rapid City Rush. Bennett made an all-time introduction to his new teammates with a hat trick in his Wheeling debut - the team's lone hat trick this season. Between the Nailers and Rush, Blake finished with 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points.

The remaining seven forwards all played their rookie seasons in 2025-26. Wheeling's top scoring rookie forward was also their youngest, as Brayden Edwards turned 21 in December. Edwards notched 14 goals and 33 points, with 16 of his 33 points coming since the start of March. Max Graham filled up every column in the stat sheet, as he skated away with 11 goals, 13 assists, and 101 penalty minutes. Zach Urdahl saw 12 games of AHL action, and put the puck in the back of the net 12 times in his 40 ECHL tilts. Jack Works is one of the most well-liked players in the locker room, as he was chosen as the Players' Player Award winner. Works got a brief taste of the pro game at the end of last season, which helped lead him to nine goals this year. Mike Posma was the only player with three multi-goal games this season, as he had 13 goals, 13 assists, and a +19 rating. Tanner Andrew was the team's ultimate utility player, as he played every role he was asked, including dropping back to help on defense. Tiernan Shoudy joined the club in early April after finishing his college season at Michigan State University, and promptly posted three points in his first six pro games. The Nailers eclipsed the 200-goal plateau for the fifth year in a row, as they finished ninth in the ECHL with 231.

Seven players are currently on the roster for the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Nailers can add two of them to bring their roster to the final number of 25. Among the seven, defenseman Tommy Budnick spent the most time in Wheeling, as he recorded 15 points in 43 games. Defenseman Scooter Brickey made the most of a short time with the Nailers, as he poured in ten points in 14 contests. Defenseman Finn Harding played in only seven games with Wheeling, but had a fantastic rookie year in the AHL, as he totaled 22 points and a +32 rating in 54 games. Forwards Nolan Renwick, Zach Gallant, and Raivis Ansons each played in over 30 AHL matches, while capitalizing on their ECHL time by combining for 21 points in 27 contests. Goaltender Maxim Pavlenko complemented Gauthier well, as the native of Kazakhstan went 15-9-0 in his first season in North America.

The North Division Semifinal Series between the Wheeling Nailers and Reading Royals will begin with games one and two at WesBanco Arena on Friday, April 24th and Saturday, April 25th. Both matches will start at 7:10 p.m. The series will then shift to Reading's Santander Arena for games three, four, and five (if necessary) on Wednesday, April 29th, Friday, May 1st, and Saturday, May 2nd. All road games in the series will begin at 7:00 p.m. Games six and seven (both if necessary) would return to Wheeling on Monday, May 4th and Wednesday, May 6th. Both of those contests would start at 7:10 p.m. Playoff tickets are available now by calling (304) 234-GOAL or visiting wheelingnailers.com. The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley.

Roster

6 D Daniel Laatsch

8 D Aidan Sutter

9 F Blake Bennett

12 F Mike Posma

13 F Logan Pietila

17 D Alexander Kuqali

21 F Craig Armstrong

22 F Matthew Quercia

24 D Tristan Thompson

25 F Jack Works

28 F Tanner Andrew

33 G Taylor Gauthier

34 F Zach Urdahl

36 F Max Graham

37 F Connor Lockhart

42 D David Breazeale

47 F Tiernan Shoudy

51 D Brent Johnson

54 F Matty De St. Phalle

60 G Gabriel D'Aigle

61 F Ryan McAllister

79 D Emil Pieniniemi

83 F Brayden Edwards

Eligible Players in the AHL

23 F Nolan Renwick

32 D Tommy Budnick

40 G Maxim Pavlenko

50 D Finn Harding

62 F Zach Gallant

63 D Scooter Brickey

80 F Raivis Ansons

North Division Semifinal Series

Wheeling Nailers vs. Reading Royals

Game 1- Fri. April 24 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m.

Game 2- Sat. April 25 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m.

Game 3- Wed. April 29 at Reading, 7:00 p.m.

Game 4- Fri. May 1 at Reading, 7:00 p.m.

Game 5- Sat. May 2 at Reading, 7:00 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 6- Mon. May 4 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 7- Wed. May 6 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m. (if necessary)

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from April 21, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central