Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and 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...

Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and 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 agreement is for two years through the 2027-28 campaign. “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 with the Bloomington Bison, Cincinnati Cyclones, Fort Wayne Komets, Indy Fuel, Kalamazoo Wings, and Toledo Walleye. 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 (98 points). submitted by /u/mjohnson1971 [link] [comments]