Led by Taylor Gauthier’s record-breaking goaltending and a lethal defense, the young Nailers dominated the North Division and overcame postseason grit to cement a 98-point campaign.
The Wheeling Nailers had a fairytale season, and one for the record books, for the team and players.
The 2025-2026 season started for the Nailers and continued strongly. The Nailers finished the season with a 46-20-3-3 record and recorded 98 points. Defensively, they were one of the best in the ECHL. They allowed only 175 goals during the regular season, being the third fewest in the entirety of the league. The special teams were another strong point for the Nailers this season. Their power play finished seventh in the ECHL at 21.5 percent.
Photo Credit: Wheeling NailersThe young talent on this team ran deep from the start of the season and beyond. Starting with Brent Johnson, who continued to have an impact from beginning to end. Johnson led all ECHL defenseman, scoring 55 points in the regular season. He earned a trip to Allen, Texas, to attend the ECHL All-Star Game and earned ECHL All-Rookie Team honors. Connor Lockhart was tied for the team lead in points during the regular season with 55 points and was the top offensive contributor. Rookie Zach Urdahl became a strong playoff contributor down the stretch and really emphasized his two-way play and scoring ability. Being a young team has its disadvantages, but it's advantage, and player Brayden Edwards stepped up to showcase what advantages having a young team is about. Edwards played in 55 regular-season games and posted 14 goals and 19 assists. He was rarely out of the lineup, unless he was reassigned to AHL Affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Goaltending provides that last line of defense on the ice, and the Nailers were not short of anything but stellar performance from netminder Taylor Gauthier, who had a record-breaking season. During the regular season, Gauthier cemented his season with a .929 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against-average. He finished among the top of the leaderboard in both categories. He earned ECHL Goaltender of the Month in March. He passed Wheeling Nailers franchise records for most wins and most shutouts. Towards the end of the season, Gauthier was signed to an NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season.
Headed into the playoffs, the Nailers qualified for the playoffs as the number one seed in the North Division. They played against the Reading Royals, ECHL Affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Nailers gentlemen swept the Royals in five games with a 4-1 series win. During that series, they tied the ECHL playoff record for fewest goals allowed during a series. Gauthier posted a staggering .972 save percentage. After that series, the Nailers headed to Portland, Maine, to take on the Maine Mariners. In the stretch of that series, the Nailers started at home, winning the first two games. They hit the road and dropped three straight games in Maine. They went back home to WesBanco Arena and won games six and seven and regained control of the series. Heading into the third round, against the powerhouse team, the Florida Everblades, they lost home ice due to Florida being the higher seed in the conference. The trip to the Eastern Conference Finals marked the first time in 10 years that the Nailers punched their ticket.
The 2025-2026 season is going to be marked as one of the most successful seasons in team history. The Nailers had multiple playoff wins, a deep Kelly Cup run, and a division championship.