Pittsburgh Penguins Renews Affiliation Deal with ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers

NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins have signed an affiliation deal with ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers.

Wheeling enters its 15th consecutive season as the ECHL affiliate for both Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as well as its 16th season overall with the NHL Penguins. 

“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with the Penguins and their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins,” said Nailers Governor Don Rigby. “Pittsburgh does an excellent job of balancing the values of winning and player development on the ice, while also helping us make a valuable connection with our fans off of the ice.”

Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling have a strong history of advancing players in their organization, and the 2013-14 season followed suit. Last year alone saw 14 different players dress in at least one game for both the Nailers and the AHL Penguins, including forward Anton Zlobin and goaltender Peter Mannino, whose large contributions helped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reach the Eastern Conference Final. 

“The Penguins are pleased to extend our relationship with the Wheeling Nailers. Penguins fans saw the importance Wheeling has within our organization last season when we had a handful of former Nailers see NHL action with us,” said Pittsburgh Penguins Associate General Manager Jason Botterill.