ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Announce Training Camp Roster

October 5, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, opened Training Camp 2015, Presented by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration on Monday. 24 players made their way onto the roster, with a positional breakdown of 13 forwards, nine defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Ten of the 24 players in the group have played in at least one game with the Nailers during their careers, and two others come in with prior experience in the ECHL.

Five of the ten returning players are forwards, including 2014-15 leading scorers Riley Brace and Derek Army, who finished their first full seasons in Wheeling with 67 and 66 points respectively. Brace and Army are joined by familiar faces Tyler Fernandez, Shawn Skelly, and Cody Wydo, while Connor Leen (Bakersfield) and Nardo Nagtzaam (Elmira) join the squad, after receiving ECHL games last spring. Christophe Lalancette is another notable name among the forwards, as he attended training camp with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Massimo Lamacchia, Mathieu Papineau, AJ Pieprzak, Luke Sandler, and Matt Tabrum rounded out Monday's group of forwards on the ice.

The blueline is anchored by Paul Cianfrini's 202 professional games, as he returns for his fourth season in a Nailers uniform. Mike Slowikowski and Tanner Burton were also part of the 2014-15 club, while Gentry Zollars comes back to the Ohio Valley, after seeing action with Utah, Reading, and Bakersfield a season ago. Brett Stern has already made noise, scoring a goal during Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's exhibition schedule, and Kyle Mariani brings two years of CHL experience with him, having suited up for Laredo and Tulsa. Mike Donnellan, Danny Fick, and Richard Ledy were the other defensemen in uniform on Monday.

The goal crease featured one returning netminder, as Franky Palazzese makes himself at home, after becoming the 12th goaltender in team history to win 20 games in a single season. He is joined by rookie Casey DeSmith, who played one perfect period during training camp with the AHL Penguins

Ten players are expected to join the Nailers shortly. Forwards Shane Bakker, Jarrett Burton, and Sahir Gill were released from their tryouts with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Forwards Adam Krause, Ty Loney, John McCarron, and Patrick McGrath, defenseman Clark Seymour, and goaltender Brian Foster were loaned to Wheeling by the AHL Penguins. Forward Anton Zlobin was assigned to the Nailers by Pittsburgh from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Training Camp 2015, Presented by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration is scheduled to have 10:00 practices Tuesday-Friday, Select-a-Seat and arena tours on Tuesday at 5:00, State of the Team on Thursday at 6:00, and the home preseason game against Cincinnati on Friday at 7:35.

Individual tickets, season tickets, mini plans, and group tickets are on sale now, with prices starting as low as $10 per seat. The Nailers will begin the 2015-16 regular season on October 16th and 17th in Norfolk, before the home opener takes place on October 24th against Brampton at 7:35. For tickets and more information, call the Nailers at (304) 234-GOAL or online at wheelingnailers.com.

2015-16 Training Camp Roster

F Derek Army

F Riley Brace

D Tanner Burton

D Paul Cianfrini

G Casey DeSmith

D Mike Donnellan

F Tyler Fernandez

D Danny Fick

F Christophe Lalancette

F Massimo Lamacchia

D Richard Ledy

F Connor Leen

D Kyle Mariani

F Nardo Nagtzaam

G Franky Palazzese

F Mathieu Papineau

F AJ Pieprzak

F Luke Sandler

F Shawn Skelly

D Mike Slowikowski

D Brett Stern

F Matt Tabrum

F Cody Wydo

D Gentry Zollars

Expected to Join Team

F Shane Bakker

F Jarrett Burton

G Brian Foster

F Sahir Gill

F Adam Krause

F Ty Loney

F Patrick McGrath

D Clark Seymour

F Anton Zlobin

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from October 5, 2015


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