ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Admirals Game Day Snap Shot

Published on October 16, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Season 24 Starts Now

The Wheeling Nailers will drop the puck on their 24th season in team history on Friday night in Norfolk, Virginia, as they play the first of back-to-back games against the Norfolk Admirals. The Nailers enter the year in search of their fifth playoff appearance in the last six seasons and sixth in the last eight campaigns, after posting a 37-33-2 record a year ago. Wheeling's all-time record entering 2015-16 stands at 818-668-142, which is good for 1,778 standings points. In their previous 23 season opening contests, the Nailers own an 11-11-1 record, and are 3-0-1 in their last four. 2012 was the last time Wheeling started the season on enemy ice (3-2 shootout loss at Cincinnati), while 2011 was the last road win in a season opener (6-1 at Greenville). Dating back to the Hampton Roads days, this will be Wheeling's first opening tilt against the Admirals.

Welcome Back to the ECHL

The Hampton Roads Admirals missed out on being one of the ECHL's original teams by one year, as they joined the league at the start of the 1989 season. Hampton Roads went on to win three championships in 11 seasons as members of the ECHL, before moving up to join the American Hockey League in 2000. The Norfolk Admirals spent 15 years in the AHL, winning the Calder Cup in 2012, while setting a professional record with 28 straight wins. This past summer, Norfolk returned to the ECHL, taking the place of the Bakersfield Condors, who joined the AHL. Bakersfield missed out on the playoffs last season, finishing sixth in the Pacific Division with a 26-38-8 record. Admirals Head Coach Eric Veilleux was the assistant coach for Norfolk in 2014-15.

Those Games Didn't Count

Neither the Nailers nor the Admirals were able to secure a victory during their preseason schedules, as Wheeling fell 6-1 and 4-2 to Cincinnati, while Norfolk came up short in a 5-4 setback at Reading. Eight of the 25 players on the Nailers' Season-Opening Roster did not play in an exhibition game, giving the newer faces an opportunity to earn a spot in the lineup. 16 of the 20 players who appeared for the Admirals made their Season-Opening Roster. Wheeling's last winless preseason occurred in 2013-14, the same year as its last playoff series win.

And the Letters Go To...

The first game of the regular season also means the first contest involving a captain and alternate captains. For the second year in a row, Head Coach Clark Donatelli has elected to name Shane Bakker his captain. This is Bakker's third professional season, as he brings 92 ECHL games and 15 AHL games to the table. One of the alternate captains will be Paul Cianfrini, who wore an "A" on his jersey at the start of last season. Cianfrini has played in 146 games as a Nailer, and got his first taste of AHL action during the 2014-15 campaign. The second alternate captain will be Jarrett Burton, who enters his second full season with the club, after amassing 28 points in 52 games as a rookie.

On the Road in the 'Roads

Friday night marks the first head-to-head meeting between the Nailers and the new Norfolk Admirals, as the Ohio Valley and Hampton Roads regions renew their rivalry that took place from 1992-2000. During that time, Norfolk Scope Arena served as a house of horrors for the Nailers and Thunderbirds, as they won just three times in 15 regular season visits. The Admirals won 20 of the 28 clashes overall, including the most recent tilt - a 3-2 shootout decision in Wheeling on March 19, 2000. The Nailers faced and defeated the Bakersfield Condors on two occasions, with the games taking place in 2005 and 2013. The two sides will do battle five times this season, with two games in Wheeling and three games in Norfolk.

Wheeling Nailers (0-0-0-0, 0 Pts) at Norfolk Admirals (0-0-0-0, 0 Pts)

Nailers at Admirals Game Day Snap Shot

Wheeling Nailers (0-0-0-0, 0 Pts) at Norfolk Admirals (0-0-0-0, 0 Pts)

WHEELING NAILERS

2014-15:

(37-33-1-1, 76 PTS, 4th North, 9th East)

210 GF, 213 GA

PP: 16.2% (44-for-272), 18th

PK: 83.4% (247-for-296), 12th

23-F-Riley Brace (18 goals, 49 assists, 67 points in 61 games)

16-F-Derek Army (29 goals, 37 assists, 66 points in 72 games)

21-F-Sahir Gill (9 goals, 20 assists, 29 points in 26 games)

20-F-Jarrett Burton (12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points in 52 games)

22-D-Clark Seymour (1 goal, 14 assists, 15 points in 54 games)

19-F-Shane Bakker (4 goals, 9 assists, 13 points in 43 games)

29-G-Franky Palazzese (20-19-1 record, 2.88 GAA, .911 Sv% in 41 games)

NORFOLK ADMIRALS

2014-15 (as Bakersfield Condors):

(26-38-3-5, 60 PTS, 6th Pacific, 12th West)

202 GF, 265 GA

PP: 15.4% (50-for-324), 23rd

PK: 80.4% (209-for-260), 24th

23-F-Michael Pelech (25 goals, 34 assists, 59 points in 56 games)

7-D-Mathieu Brisebois (11 goals, 33 assists, 44 points in 67 games)

19-F-Josh Currie (14 goals, 28 assists, 42 points in 71 games)

91-F-Jonathan Lessard (19 goals, 22 assists, 40 points in 60 games)

77-F-Chase Schaber (15 goals, 18 assists, 33 points in 51 games)

11-F-Nick MacNeil (12 goals, 14 assists, 26 points in 45 games)

31-G-Ty Rimmer (8-11-3 record, 3.20 GAA, .889 Sv% in 25 games)

Head to Head

2014-15 Season Series: Did Not Play

All-Time Series: Hampton Roads Admirals 20, Wheeling Nailers/Thunderbirds 8

All-Time Series at Norfolk Scope Arena: Hampton Roads Admirals 12, Wheeling Nailers/Thunderbirds 3

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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ECHL Stories from October 16, 2015


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