Following the trend of emphasizing winning and competitiveness throughout all levels of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, the Wheeling Nailers, the ECHL affiliate of the team, impressed with a 43-25-3-1 record in 2024-25 season, finishing second in the North Division–one spot and eight points behind the eventual Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivieres Lions–and fifth in the Eastern Conference and reaching 40 wins for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Several players new to the organization, particularly a strong group signed to AHL contracts, impressed and made significant strides in individual development.
Forwards
Multiple rookies signed to AHL contracts powered the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins offense in Jack Beck, Atley Calvert, Mathieu De St. Phalle, and Gabe Klassen, along with second year professional Kyle Jackson.
Jack Beck
Despite missing a significant portion of the season recovering from injury, Jack Beck still averaged a point per game with 36 in 36. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames, Beck went unsigned by the organization and signed a contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after aging out of major junior last season–leading the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL with 27 goals and 85 points in 67 games. Beck managed two points in five postseason games with the Nailers and re-upped with the organization for next season–hoping to stay healthy and likely see some time at the AHL level.
Atley Calvert
Atley Calvert fell just short of a point per game average with 36 in 38 and stuck with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after being called up around the halfway point of the season. The undrafted forward found some consistency in the AHL with 14 points in 26 games. Prior to turning professional, Calvert put together two strong seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL, scoring 40 goals and recording 73 points in 67 games in 2022-23 and finishing second on the team with 47 goals and 95 points in 2023-24.
Gabe Klassen
Gabe Klassen spent the previous two seasons as the captain of the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL and led the team with 106 points and 61 assists in 67 games in 2023-24. Going undrafted, Klassen signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with the Wheeling Nailers, finishing fourth on the team with 43 points in 65 games.
Mathieu De St. Phalle
Mathieu De St. Phalle–the oldest of the group of rookies at 25 years old– joined the organization after four seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA, leading the team with 55 points and 35 assists in 62 games last season. Though probably a lower ceiling compared to the other three rookies, De St. Phalle looks to be a contributor in Wheeling again next season.
Kyle Jackson
Kyle Jackson scored 14 goals in 53 ECHL games as a rookie with the Kansas City Mavericks last season and jumped to 27 goals in 67 games with the Nailers in 2024-25, leading the team, and finishing second with 52 points. A seventh round pick of the Seattle Kraken in 2022, Jackson went unsigned by the organization despite scoring 61 goals in 112 games over two seasons with the North Bay Battalion in the OHL.
Veterans Jordan Martel, David Jankowski, and Matthew Quercia helped drive offense as well. Martel finished third on the team with 47 points in 56 games, Jankowski finished with 37 points in 70 games, and Quercia finished second on the team with 20 goals in 68 games.
Defense
Isaac Belliveau
Isaac Belliveau represented the only skater signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins with significant time spent in Wheeling in 2024-25. The 2021 fifth round pick recorded 16 points in 25 games for a 0.64 point per game after recording 38 in 70 games last season–good for a 0.54 point per game average. Still only 22 years old and entering a contract year, Belliveau looks to take the next step in development in 2025-26 with openings on the blueline at the AHL level.
Mats Lindgren
Rookie Mats Lindgren–signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins–settled into the professional level with 21 points in 56 games with the Nailers in 2024-25. A 2022 fourth round pick of the Buffalo Sabres, Lindgren saw a drop in production in with the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL over the next two seasons and went unsigned by the organization.
Chris Ortiz led blueliners on the team with 39 points in only 45 games but joined the Providence Bruins on a tryout contract in March and remained in the AHL for the rest of the season.
Goaltending
Goaltending proved to be the highlight for Wheeling in 2024-25. Reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Year Taylor Gauthier and highly touted rookie Sergei Murashov formed a tandem in net and backstopped the Nailers for the season.
Sergei Murashov
Sergei Murashov went 17-7-1 with a .922 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average, earning a spot on the ECHL All-Star Team. Additionally, the 2022 fourth round pick went 12-3-0 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, going without a loss in 11 games to start the professional career. With combined success at the ECHL and AHL level, Murashov looks to be on track to develop into a legitimate NHL goaltender.
Taylor Gauthier
After being named the ECHL Goaltender of the Year in the 2023-24 seaosn, Taylor Gauthier actually improved with a 2.06 goals against average and .928 save percentage in 30 games last season. After dominating at the ECHL level for the past two seasons, Gauthier, 24 years old and a pending restricted free agent, likely wants the opportunity to play at a higher level either in the AHL or, potentially, overseas.
Of Note
Two 2024 draft picks joined the Nailers for the end of the season. Chase Pietila, taken in the fourth round, recorded three assists in nine games after finishing a strong sophomore season with 22 points in 36 games with the Michigan Tech Huskies. Finn Harding enjoyed a breakout season with the Brampton Steelheads with 57 points in 67 games and went without a point in three games with Wheeling. Expect Pietila to see some development time in Wheeling next season while Harding likely returns to major junior.
Despite fizzling out in the postseason–mostly due to a lineup depleted with injury and call ups–the Wheeling Nailers strung together a strong season and look positioned to be successful again in 2025-26.