Pittsburgh Penguins End 29-Year Affiliation With Wheeling Nailers
WHEELING, W.Va. — For nearly three decades, West Virginia hockey fans could watch future Pittsburgh Penguins begin their professional careers in Wheeling.
That chapter is now coming to an end.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Thursday that the organization is ending its affiliation with the Wheeling Nailers after 29 seasons, concluding the longest active partnership between an NHL organization and an ECHL franchise. (NHL)
The affiliation began in 1998 and connected the Nailers with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
“For nearly three decades, the Nailers have been an invaluable part of the organization’s player development process,” Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement.
Dubas credited the Nailers’ staff with working closely alongside Pittsburgh’s player development operation and helping prepare numerous players for higher levels of professional hockey.
Several players who spent time in Wheeling later reached the NHL and contributed to Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup championships. Tom Kuhnhackl, Carter Rowney and Josh Archibald all played for the Nailers before becoming members of the Penguins’ 2017 Stanley Cup championship team. (Wheeling Nailers)
More recently, prospects including Avery Hayes and Sergei Murashov began their professional careers in Wheeling before advancing through the Penguins’ organization.
“The Nailers have run a first-class operation for many years, and any organization would be fortunate to have them as an affiliate,” Dubas said. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Wheeling.”
The announcement comes after one of the most successful seasons in recent Nailers history.
Wheeling advanced to the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 10 years during the 2025-26 season. The team’s run brought postseason hockey back to WesBanco Arena and renewed attention around the longtime connection between Wheeling and Pittsburgh. (NHL)
The end of the affiliation does not mean the Nailers are leaving Wheeling or ending operations. The team will remain a member of the ECHL and is now searching for a new NHL organization to partner with for player development.
Nailers President and Governor Brian Komorowski said the organization is disappointed to see the relationship end but understands the circumstances surrounding Pittsburgh’s decision.
“We are thankful to the Pittsburgh Penguins for all of the hard work that they did in helping the Wheeling Nailers put a consistent winner on the ice for the past three decades,” Komorowski said.
Komorowski said the Nailers have already begun conversations with other NHL organizations about a future affiliation.
A new partnership would determine which NHL and AHL organizations assign developing players to Wheeling, but the Nailers will continue operating as West Virginia’s professional hockey franchise.
For fans across the state, the decision closes one of the most familiar relationships in West Virginia professional sports. Generations of fans attended games in Wheeling knowing that the players on the ice could eventually move through Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and reach Pittsburgh.
The next question for the Nailers will be which NHL organization becomes their new partner and begins the next chapter of professional hockey in Wheeling.
