Nailers vs. Royals Playoff Series Preview
Published on April 23, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
Wheeling Nailers (46-20-3-3, 98 Pts.) vs. Reading Royals (36-26-8-2, 82 Pts.)
WHEELING NAILERS
1st Place in North Division
Record: 46-20-3-3
Points: 98
Goals For: 231 (9th)
Goals Against: 175 (3rd)
Power Play: 46-for-214, 21.5% (7th)
Penalty Kill: 202-for-241, 83.8% (10th)
READING ROYALS
4th Place in North Division
Record: 36-26-8-2
Points: 82
Goals For: 199 (T-21st)
Goals Against: 205 (11th)
Power Play: 40-for-242, 16.5% (22nd)
Penalty Kill: 217-for-256, 84.8% (6th)
Head-to-Head
2025-26 Regular Season: Royals 8, Nailers 7
2025-26 Regular Season at WHL: Royals 5, Nailers 2
2025-26 Regular Season at REA: Nailers 5, Royals 3
All-Time Regular Season: Royals 125, Nailers 112
All-Time Regular Season at WHL: Nailers 61, Royals 59
All-Time Regular Season at REA: Royals 66, Nailers 51
All-Time Playoff Series: Nailers 2, Royals 1 (3-2 Reading in 2004 North Division Semifinal, 3-1 Wheeling in 2006 North Division Semifinal, 4-3 Wheeling in 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinal)
Goaltending
Wheeling: D'Aigle, Gauthier
Reading: Perets, Petruzzelli
The regular season series between the Nailers and the Royals saw an average of just 4.67 combined goals per game as well as four shutouts, so fans should expect goaltending to be a strength for both teams. Wheeling's Taylor Gauthier led the ECHL with a .929 save percentage and finished third in the league with a 2.09 goals against average. After playing in just two playoff games over the last two years, Gauthier is dying for his chance to not only start game one, but take the Nailers all the way to the promised land. Taylor posted a 1.96 goals against average and a .928 save percentage in seven appearances against Reading this season, and has 12 career wins over the Royals - his most against any opponent. Gauthier's netminding teammate in this series will be 2025 third round draft pick Gabriel D'Aigle, who made 38 saves in his first professional win against the Royals on April 12th. Reading's goaltending scenario will be fascinating to watch, as Yaniv Perets and Keith Petruzzelli shared the crease this season. Petruzzelli had the better goals against average and save percentage, while Perets had the better winning percentage and saw AHL action. In the season series, Perets was 3-2-1 with a 2.31 GAA and .936 Sv%, while Petruzzelli was 3-4-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .912 Sv%. Petruzzelli has 25 games of professional playoff experience, including two game seven wins with the Newfoundland Growlers in 2022. Perets played in ten playoff games with the Norfolk Admirals in 2024, but his biggest career postseason achievement was winning the NCAA National Championship for Quinnipiac in 2023.
Defense
Wheeling: Breazeale, Johnson, Kuqali, Laatsch, Pieniniemi, Sutter, Thompson
Reading: Edward, Gendron, Hadfield, Kulakov, Meehan, Sevigny, Walker, Willets
While the primary job of a defenseman is to help keep the puck out of the net, both clubs have a player who was a major contributor to the offense. Wheeling's Brent Johnson and Reading's Ben Meehan made up the defensive tandem on the 2025-26 ECHL All-Rookie Team, as they finished first and second respectively among rookie defensemen in scoring. Both players lit the lamp 12 times, while Johnson had the edge in points, 55-46. One of the most indicative numbers of a player's defensive performance is +/-, and David Breazeale of the Nailers led that category among blueliners in the series with a +19 mark. Meehan was tied with his team captain, Miles Gendron, for the Reading lead at +9. Both teams have significant experience among their defensemen. Wheeling's Alexander Kuqali and Tristan Thompson have combined to play in 563 career ECHL games, while Reading's Miles Gendron, Victor Hadfield, Artem Kulakov, and Vincent Sevigny have combined for 783 games in the AHL and ECHL.
Offense
Wheeling: Andrew, Armstrong, Bennett, De St. Phalle, Edwards, Graham, Lockhart, McAllister, Pietila, Posma, Quercia, Renwick, Shoudy, Urdahl, Works
Reading: Butcher, Deakin-Poot, Devlin, Frasca, Golder, Haskins, Johannes, Kurth, McLaughlin, McMenamin, Michel, Mongo, Robidoux, Saigeon, Saint
Despite the fact that there are only two 20-goal scorers in the series, both teams have a tremendous amount of scoring depth in their lineups. 11 of the 15 forwards for the Nailers reached double digits in goals, led by Blake Bennett with 27 (22 with Rapid City, 5 with Wheeling) and Connor Lockhart with 21. Nine of the 15 forwards for the Royals also scored ten or more goals, led by Carson Golder's 17. Lockhart (55 points), Logan Pietila (49 points), and Craig Armstrong (35 points) all had career years for Wheeling to finish second, third, and fifth on the team in scoring. Former Nailer Brandon Saigeon had the best season of his six-year career with 39 points to lead Reading in scoring. In addition to acquiring Bennett in March, the Nailers received a jolt to their offense in February, when Ryan McAllister signed an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. McAllister collected 25 points in 24 games in a Wheeling uniform. The Royals had similar success adding players to the mix. Hunter Johannes notched 25 points in 30 games after being acquired in an AHL trade from Charlotte, Connor Kurth had 11 points in 20 games after relocating from Orlando, and Austin Saint picked up 14 points in 32 games after recording just six points in 23 contests with Greenville and Cincinnati.
AHL Eligibles
Wheeling: Ansons, Brickey, Budnick, Gallant, Harding, Pavlenko
Reading: None
With the Nailers adding Nolan Renwick to their roster on Wednesday, there is only one more slot available in the series for one of six players currently on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's roster. Of the six, defensemen Tommy Budnick and goaltender Maxim Pavlenko are the two that spent the most time in Wheeling, as Budnick played in 43 games and Pavlenko appeared in 26 contests. Finn Harding saw the most AHL action, as he amassed 22 points in 54 games and had a +32 rating. Zach Gallant has the most playoff experience among those on the list of eligible players, as he suited up in 24 games for the Toledo Walleye during the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs and has also played in six career AHL playoff games with the Penguins and San Jose Barracuda. Reading's 25-man roster is set.
Special Teams
Wheeling: PP- 21.5%, 7th. PK- 83.8%, 10th.
Reading: PP- 16.5%, 22nd. PK- 84.8%, 6th.
After playing each other 15 times during the regular season, there is plenty of animosity between the Nailers and the Royals. The two sides combined for 447 penalty minutes in those games for an average of 29.8 per match, and there were also 12 fights. Needless to say, the penalty box attendants will likely get to know these players quite well if they don't already. That also puts a significant focus on special teams. Both of Wheeling's units finished in the ECHL's top-ten, while Reading's penalty kill was one of its strengths, and it needed to be, as the Royals had the fourth most trips to the PK this season. Thanks to his time with both the Nailers and the Rapid City Rush, Blake Bennett was Wheeling's leader with nine power play goals and 24 power play points. Defenseman Brent Johnson was also dangerous on the man advantage with 15 assists and 18 points. Fellow defenseman Ben Meehan was Reading's leader with 14 power play points, while Carson Golder led the way for the Royals with seven power play goals. In the season series, the Nailers went 9-for-55 on the power play for a 16.4% success rate, while the Royals went 5-for-51 for a 9.8% success rate. Overall for the year, Wheeling scored ten shorthanded goals and allowed eight, while Reading scored four shorthanded goals and allowed two.
Coaching
Wheeling: HC Ryan Papaioannou (1st Season), AC- Mitch Giguere (3rd Season), AC- Evan McFeeters (1st Season), GC- Karel Popper (2nd Season)
Reading: HC Anthony Peters (1st Season), AC- Wes Wolfe (1st Season)
A playoff appearance in your first season as the head coach of a team is always a good start, and Wheeling's Ryan Papaioannou and Reading's Anthony Peters were two of six head coaches to achieve that in the ECHL this year. Papaioannou led the Nailers to their first division title in 22 seasons and an eight-point increase over their 2024-25 finish. Peters helped the Royals boost their point total up by five for a return trip to the postseason. Both head coaches have prior championship experience. Papaioannou won seven AJHL championships, one BCHL title, four Centennial/RBC Cups, a Western Canada Cup, and a Rocky Mountain Challenge during his 16 seasons as head coach of the Brooks Bandits. Peters won a Slovakian Extraliga championship as a player with HC Slovan Bratislava in 2021-22, then earned a Kelly Cup as an assistant coach with the Florida Everblades in 2023-24. This will be Anthony's second time facing Wheeling in a playoff series, as he was Florida's starting goaltender in the opening round of the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Mitch Giguere will be experiencing his third straight postseason as an assistant coach with the Nailers, while Karel Popper is in the ECHL playoffs for the second year in a row. Evan McFeeters won an AJHL and Centennial Cup Championship as Papaioannou's assistant coach in Brooks. Prior to joining the Royals, Wes Wolfe was an assistant coach with the OHL's Erie Otters for eight of the last nine years.
Experience
Wheeling: 48 Kelly Cup Playoff Games, 0 Championships
Reading: 138 Kelly Cup Playoff Games, 1 Championship
Professional playoff hockey will be new to the majority of the players in this series, as only 18 of 49 players have played in at least one playoff game at either the AHL or ECHL level. The player with the most experience is Reading's Alec Butcher, who makes his fifth straight appearance in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Butcher has played in 31 career postseason matches and has been part of two series wins. Matthew Quercia is Wheeling's leader with 22 career playoff games, and he will become the fifth player in team history to reach the postseason four times. Quercia scored the winning goal in game seven for the Nailers in the 2022 Central Division Semifinal Series against the Fort Wayne Komets. The one previous Kelly Cup Champion in this series is Reading's Vincent Sevigny, who won the title last spring with the Trois-Rivières Lions. There are three players with AHL playoff experience, as Wheeling's Ryan McAllister played three games for Charlotte in 2023, Reading's Keith Petruzzelli played three games for Toronto in 2023, and Reading's Hunter Johannes played one game for Grand Rapids in 2024. The Royals have two players who have faced the Nailers in the postseason before. Wheeling defeated Victor Hadfield's Indy Fuel in 2024, then fell to Carson Golder's Norfolk Admirals in 2025.
Arenas
Wheeling: WesBanco Arena (opened in 1977)
Reading: Santander Arena (opened in 2001)
This will be the fourth time that WesBanco Arena and Santander Arena will be the sites for a playoff series between the Nailers and the Royals. While the two venues took drastically different paths to arrive at professional hockey, they both opened their doors to music for their first major event. The Doobie Brothers were the first to perform at Wheeling Civic Center (now WesBanco Arena) on April 19, 1977, while Stevie Nicks got Sovereign Center (now Santander Arena) started on September 8, 2001. The Wheeling Thunderbirds arrived on the scene during the 16th year of the arena's existence, so construction had to be done to the floor in order for ice to be installed for the 1992-93 season. The Royals' first season was the same as their building's, as they began play during the 2001-02 campaign. WesBanco Arena's seating capacity for hockey is 4,700, and this season's largest crowd was an opening night sellout of 4,839 fans. Santander Arena's capacity is 7,160, and the largest crowd there was 6,828 for Pink in the Rink on February 28th. The Nailers and Royals were surprisingly successful in the other team's home rink this season, as the road squad was victorious in ten of 15 head-to-head clashes. Wheeling led the North Division with 24 home wins, followed by Reading's 23.
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)
ECHL Stories from April 23, 2026
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- Nailers vs. Royals Playoff Series Preview - Wheeling Nailers
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