A partnership lasting three decades came to an end on July 16 when the Wheeling Nailers announced it would no longer be affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Read more: ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers announce new affiliation with Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Nailers are the only professional hockey club in the state of West Virginia. It plays in the lowest level of the NHL’s minor league system, the ECHL.
The Nailers immediately began negotiations with NHL teams following the end of its ties to the Penguins.
It was officially announced Thursday that the Wheeling Nailers had agreed to serve as the ECHL affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets for the upcoming 2026-27 season. The deal is good for two years through the 2027-28 season.
Early history of the Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers, originally the Carolina Thunderbirds, were founded in 1981 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
When the ACHL folded in 1987, the Thunderbirds, along with the Virginia Lancers and Johnston Chiefs, formed the ECHL.
After 11 seasons in North Carolina, the Nailers officially relocated to Wheeling, West Virginia, ahead of the 1992-1993 season. Upon this move, the Thunderbirds became affiliated with an NHL team for the first time, the Montreal Canadiens.
The team officially changed its name to the Nailers ahead of the 1996-97 season following a trademark dispute with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.
Before changing its name to the Thunderbirds, the Nailers won two division titles (1992-93 and 1994-95) and one conference title (1992-93). It has never won the league’s championship, the Kelly Cup.
Long history with the Pittsburgh Penguins
On February 12, 1998, the Wheeling Nailers announced its affiliation with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Throughout the years, Wheeling won two more division titles (2003-04 and 2025-26) and another conference title (2025-16). Still, the Nailers did not win the Kelly Cup and only made one appearance in the championship series.
Despite not seeing championship success within the ECHL, several Wheeling Nailers alumni went on to win a Stanley Cup Championship. All three won with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those players were Josh Archibald, Carter Rowney, and Tom Kuhnhackl.
The Penguins were always focused on developing players with the Nailers, with recent callups including goaltender Sergei Murashov and forward Avery Hayes.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were purchased by the Hoffman Family of Companies. The company also owns the Florida Everblades ECHL franchise. Due to that ownership, the Penguins made the decision to end its affiliation with the Nailers in favor of the Everblades.
The Hoffman Family of Companies also owns the Penguins AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The 29-year partnership between the Penguins and Nailers is quite the anomaly in the current landscape of minor league hockey. Before the end of the affiliation, it was the longest-standing ECHL and NHL agreement.
The longest standing affiliation now belongs to the Dallas Stars with the Idaho Steelheads, which first began ahead of the 2005-06 season.
New beginning
With the Columbus Blue Jackets agreeing to be affiliated with the Wheeling Nailers, it gives the NHL franchise its first ECHL affiliate since 2023.
The Blue Jackets were previously affiliated with the Kalamazoo Wings from 2014-2016 and 2021-2023. It is now affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks.
In addition to the Nailers, the Blue Jackets are also affiliated with an AHL club, the Cleveland Monsters, who share Rocket Arena with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While it will not be as close as it was to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, the Nailers’ home, WesBanco Arena, is just two hours away from Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
In the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets are rivals within the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.
The Blue Jackets were an NHL expansion franchise in 2000. The team has not won a Stanley Cup or conference championship in its relatively young history.
Related: Beyond hockey: PPG Paints Arena to host WVU and Pitt Men’s Basketball
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