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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Announce Playoff Roster

April 2, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


The Wheeling Nailers and Kalamazoo Wings are less than 48 hours away from opening their best-of-five series on Tuesday night WesBanco Arena. So, without further delay, it's time to see how the two clubs stack up on paper.

Wheeling Nailers

Record: 37-26-4-5

Points: 83

Goals For: 219

Goals Against: 202

Power Play: 46-for-270 (17.0%), 10th

Penalty Kill: 232-for-287 (80.8%), 13th

Regular Season Individual Leaders

Goals: Barton (29)

Assists: Hotham (36)

Points: Barton (60)

Penalty Minutes: Ross (131)

Plus/Minus: Merth (+20)

Wins: Killen (19)

GAA: Delmas (2.50)

Sv%: Delmas (.909)

Shutouts: Delmas (3)

Kalamazoo Wings

Record: 38-26-2-6

Points: 84

Goals For: 264

Goals Against: 237

Power Play: 73-for-322 (22.7%), 3rd

Penalty Kill: 218-for-283 (77.0%), 20th

Regular Season Individual Leaders

Goals: Bootland (25)

Assists: Daavettila (56)

Points: Daavettila (74)

Penalty Minutes: Bootland (170)

Plus/Minus: Archibald (+22)

Wins: Gill (24)

GAA: Gill (2.93)

Sv%: Gill (.903)

Shutouts: Gill (2)

GOALTENDING

WHEELING: Delmas (E), Killeen, Niedert

KALAMAZOO: Clermont, Gill

The Nailers and Wings have split their goaltending duties relatively evenly this season, as four of the netminders on the two playoff rosters have appeared in at least 30 games. On the Wheeling side, Peter Delmas played in 37 games, going 18-14-3, with a 2.50 GAA, and a .909 Sv%, while Patrick Killeen played in 36 games, going 19-12-4, with a 2.69 GAA, and an .893 Sv%. For Kalamazoo, Riley Gill saw more of the action, playing in 44 games, going 24-15-5, with a 2.93 GAA, and a .903 Sv%, while Maxime Clermont played in 31 games, going 13-10-3, with a 3.42 GAA, and an .891 Sv%. Out of the four, Delmas has the most experience in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, after posting eight wins in 15 games last spring. Killeen and Gill have one playoff win each on their resumes, while Clermont is in his first professional season, following an 11-win postseason with QMJHL runner-up Gatineau last year. Depending on Delmas' status with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal could give a goaltender the chance to make his first mark in postseason play as a professional.

DEFENSE

WHEELING: Bushee, Hansen, Hotham, Merth, Ross, Samuelsson, Southorn

KALAMAZOO: Charlebois, Ftorek, Harty, Matczak, O'Neill, Reid, Tolles, Young

On the blueline, the Nailers have one of the top defensemen in the league, as Andrew Hotham was named to the All-ECHL Second Team. Despite missing 20 games due to injury in December and January, Hotham was able to produce 36 assists and 44 points, finishing third on the team in scoring. While Hotham's point total is the highest among the two bluelines, the Wings saw two of their defensemen reach double digits in goals, as Sam Ftorek finished the year with 11 goals and 43 points, while Mike Matczak had 11 goals and 35 points. Former Nailer Elgin Reid also had a successful campaign for Kalamazoo, as he posted 18 assists and 27 points. While the Wings' defense prides themselves on putting points on the board, they can be vulnerable in their own end, as they allowed the third most goals in the Eastern Conference (237). On the other side of the ice, Wheeling ended 2011-12 as one of the better defensive clubs in the league, allowing the third fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (202). Peter Merth's team-high plus-20 rating was a major factor in the team's strong defensive numbers.

OFFENSE

WHEELING: Barton, Chupp, Crowder, Dame-Malka (E), Farrer, Fergus, Kroshus, Lenes, Minella, Petersen (E), Schepke, Schnell (E), Torquato, Watson

KALAMAZOO: Archibald, Bootland, Cloutier, Daavettila, Haczyk (R), Helminen, Karlander, Kattelus, Rai, Sirota, Strong (R), Svendsen (R), Taylor

Offense is one of the biggest strengths for the Wings, as they led the league in the regular season, scoring 264 goals. 12 different forwards reached double digits in goals, led by Darryl Bootland (25), Justin Taylor (23), and Nick Sirota (22), who all had 20-goal campaigns, while Trent Daavettila (56) and Kory Karlander (37) contributed with large assist totals. The Nailers also boasted three 20-goal scorers, as Chris Barton (29), Paul Crowder (23), and Peter Lenes (22) helped to pace the offensive output. Nine of Wheeling's current forwards reached double digits in goals, while a total of six forwards recorded at least 40 points. The Nailers' 228 goals ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference.

SPECIAL TEAMS

While no team likes to see itself on the penalty kill, staying out of the penalty box will be a major point of emphasis for the two teams in this series. Both of Wheeling's special teams finished in the middle of the pack this season, as their 17.0% power play ranked tenth, while their 80.8% penalty kill ranked 13th. The numbers were drastically different for Kalamazoo, as their power play was the third best in the league, connecting at a rate of 22.7%. However, the Wings' penalty kill was the worst in the league, as they held the opposition off of the scoreboard 77.0% of the time. Trent Daavettila and Mike Matczak had eight power play goals each for Kalamazoo, while Paul Crowder and Jordon Southorn had seven power play goals each for Wheeling.

TOUGHNESS

The Nailers and Wings finished in the middle of the league in terms of fighting majors, with Wheeling dropping the gloves 43 times (13th), and Kalamazoo dropping the gloves 48 times (11th). Adam Ross was the Nailers' most frequent fighter, as he took on a member of the opposing team ten times, and was successful more often than not. No other Wheeling player finished the season with more than four fighting majors in the ECHL. Of the three Wings that finished with at least five fighting majors, Darryl Bootland added to his four-digit career penalty minute total, getting into nine tussles.

COACHING

The two benches will look a bit different in this series, as the Nailers have two coaches running their team, while the Wings have one. Nick Bootland serves as the head coach for Kalamazoo, and is coming off of his fourth consecutive 40-win season with the club. After two straight first round exits, Bootland led the 2010-11 version of the Wings to the Kelly Cup Final, before they bowed out to the Alaska Aces in five games. Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Nick enjoyed a ten-year playing career, which included an appearance in the 2007 Colonial Cup Final (UHL) with Kalamazoo. On the Wheeling side of the ice, head coach Clark Donatelli and assistant coach Cole Bassett are both in their first seasons with the Nailers. Wheeling posted a 27-20-9 record, after Donatelli took over as the head coach for Stan Drulia, and went 20-15-7 when Bassett joined the squad. Prior to joining the Nailers, Donatelli, a two-time United States Olympian, served as the assistant coach at Providence College. Bassett also has international success on his resume with the Red, White, and Blue, as he played for and coached the U.S. National Development Program.

EXPERIENCE

When it comes to age and experience, the Wings have one of the most veteran lineups in the ECHL. In fact, Kalamazoo's roster consists of three players that are at least 30 years old, with Kory Karlander (40) leading the way, followed by Sam Ftorek (37), and Darryl Bootland (30). Dwight Helminen (28) also has a plethora of professional hockey experience under his belt, along with Nick Sirota (27) and Trent Daavettila (27). The Nailers have two 29-year olds (Chase Watson & Nick Niedert) and four 27-year olds on their roster, as Matt Schepke, Paul Crowder, Cody Chupp, and Kyle Bushee all had birthdays within the last three months, while Christiaan Minella will turn 27 in July. Watson, Niedert, Schepke, Crowder, and Bushee have the most professional experience.

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