Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced today that the Wheeling Nailers will serve as the ECHL affiliate for the Blue Jackets and the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters beginning with the upcoming 2026-27 season.  The term of agreement is two years.

The ECHL stopped being an acronym for the East Coast Hockey League and became the official name of the league in 2003. The West Coast Hockey League ceased operations in that same year and six of its teams joined the ECHL, making “East Coast” a poor descriptor of the league’s geography.

“We are excited to partner with the Wheeling Nailers as our new ECHL affiliate,” said Blue Jackets assistant general manager Chris Clark, who oversees hockey operations for the organization’s professional affiliates. 

“Wheeling has a long tradition of both player development and organizational success, and its proximity to both Cleveland and Columbus will be advantageous on the hockey side, while providing a great opportunity to promote our organization and the game throughout the region. 

“We look forward to working with head coach Nate DiCasmirro, his staff and the entire Nailers organization while helping the young players in our system take the next step in their development.”

Wheeling has been a fixture in the West Virginia professional sports landscape since 1992 and served as the longtime ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins for 28 seasons from 1998-2026. The club will compete in the ECHL’s Western Conference Central Division beginning in 2026-27.

The Nailers play their home games at WesBanco Arena. The club has qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs 18 times, including the past three seasons, and captured its fourth division title in 2025-26, winning the North Division with a record of 46-20-3-3.

This is the lineup of ECHL teams for 2026-27 (the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, and Utah Mammoth do not have ECHL affiliates at this time):

EASTERN  CONFERENCE

North Division

Adirondack Thunder – Glens Falls, New York (New Jersey)
Greensboro Gargoyles – Greensboro, North Carolina (Carolina)
Maine Mariners – Portland, Maine (Boston)
Norfolk Admirals – Norfolk, Virginia (unaffiliated)
Reading Royals – Reading, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
Trenton Ironhawks – Trenton, New Jersey (New York Islanders)
Trois-Rivières Lions – Trois-Rivières, Quebec (Montreal)
Worcester Railers – Worcester, Massachusetts (St. Louis)

South Division

Atlanta Gladiators – Duluth, Georgia (Nashville)
Florida Everblades – Estero, Florida (Pittsburgh)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits – Greenville, South Carolina (Los Angeles)
Jacksonville Icemen – Jacksonville, Florida (Minnesota)
Orlando Solar Bears – Orlando, Florida (Tampa Bay)
Savannah Ghost Pirates – Savannah, Georgia (Florida)
South Carolina Stingrays – North Charleston, South Carolina (Washington)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

Bloomington Bison – Bloomington, Illinois (Winnipeg)
Cincinnati Cyclones – Cincinnati, Ohio (Toronto)
Fort Wayne Komets – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Edmonton)
Indy Fuel – Fishers, Indiana (Chicago)
Kalamazoo Wings – Kalamazoo, Michigan (Vancouver)
Toledo Walleye – Toledo, Ohio (Detroit)
Wheeling Nailers – Wheeling, West Virginia (Columbus)

Mountain Division

Allen Americans – Allen, Texas (Ottawa)
Idaho Steelheads – Boise, Idaho (Dallas)
Kansas City Mavericks – Independence, Missouri (Seattle)
Rapid City Rush – Rapid City, South Dakota (Calgary)
New Mexico Goatheads, Rio Rancho, New Mexico (Colorado)
Tahoe Knight Monsters – Stateline, Nevada (Vegas)
Tulsa Oilers – Tulsa Oklahoma (Anaheim)
Wichita Thunder – Wichita, Kansas (San Jose)

Why Nailers?

Founded in 1852, the La Belle Iron Works was the largest cut nail plant in the world, earning Wheeling the nickname of “Nail City”. Cut nails are heavy-duty fasteners fashioned from flat sheets of steel or iron. They have a distinctive four-sided, tapered rectangular shank and a blunt tip. Invented in the late 18th century, they completely revolutionized construction by replacing expensive, hand-forged round nails.