The 2026-27 hockey season is one of change for the Wheeling Nailers. After nearly 30 years of operating as ECHL partners of the Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, they’re gearing up to start their first-ever season as brand new affiliates of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Monsters. If you’re wondering how and why this happened and what it means going forward, Weelunk has you covered.
The writing was on the wall in December 2025, when it was announced the Hoffman Family of Companies would be purchasing the Penguins. Half a year later, on June 23, 2026, the deal was done and the Pens were sold. Speculation about the Nailers’ future began, primarily due to the Hoffmans already owning fellow ECHL team the Florida Everblades; ironically, the team that had eliminated Wheeling from the playoffs just one month prior. On July 16, 2026, the Penguins announced they would be moving forward with Florida as their new ECHL affiliate, ending a 29-year partnership with the Nail City. The Nailers and Blue Jackets announced their affiliation agreement just three weeks later on August 6, and the new future of Wheeling hockey began.
Despite the period of uncertainty regarding the Nailers’ future being very brief, the fans surely have many questions. To get an idea of what we can expect for the future of the franchise, we reached out to the team’s Vice President of Communications, DJ Abisalih, to ask some questions.
Q: “First and foremost: thank you for taking the time, DJ. Before we get into all the changes, tell me a bit about yourself. How did you start your career?”
A: “It’s my pleasure. I always enjoy talking about the team, and now that the season is right around the corner, the excitement and anticipation are certainly there, especially with all the changes that took place this summer.
I was always extremely passionate about sports when I was growing up. We had season tickets to the AHL’s Portland Pirates and we might as well have been season ticket holders to AA Baseball’s Portland Sea Dogs. The broadcasting itch came naturally. When I was playing video games or playing sports in the driveway or the yard, I always found myself commentating. In the summer of 2004, I began working for the Sea Dogs, selling concessions. I worked two seasons in concessions, then moved into the ticket office in 2006. Over time, my role with the Sea Dogs evolved, where I began hosting the pregame and postgame shows, delivering between-inning updates, and eventually even some color commentary and play-by-play. At the same time as I was working for the Sea Dogs, I also began working for the local sports radio station, The Big Jab. The Lewiston MAINEiacs were a QMJHL team that played 45 minutes north of Portland. Their broadcaster Alex Reed and their beat writer Justin Pelletier were regular guests on our show. I pestered Alex all summer, then finally, on the day before the 2009-10 regular season, I drove up to his office and asked him in person. His response was, “’I can’t pay you, but you can work as my color commentator.”’ That was all I needed. My foot was in the door, and my hockey journey had officially begun.”
Q: “How did you end up in Wheeling?”
A: “In May of 2011, the MAINEiacs were dissolved. Luckily, the place that Alex had gone to was Wheeling, and at the time, that was a seasonal position, so he left and joined the Florida Everblades. That opened up Wheeling. I didn’t hear anything for months, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to call any hockey games that winter. Then, once again on October 6th, my life changed. I did an interview at 11:45 that morning and got hired at 4:30 that afternoon. Keep in mind, the season opener was eight days later in Greenville on October 14th. So, I used that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to pack up my life, then made the 13-hour drive from Maine to West Virginia. 15 years and 1,150 games later, the rest is history.”
Q: “What has made you want to stay here?”
A: “When I first arrived in Wheeling, I was welcomed with open arms. Those first two broadcasts on the road were extremely rough. I barely knew my own team, let alone the scope of the league. In addition to that, it was my first time living on my own, so that was a major adjustment. But that’s when the fans made the biggest impact. Not only were they friendly and positive, but they were so eager to help me with basic life chores – where to get food, where to set up a local bank account, where to go for renter’s insurance, where to get an oil change.
There are so many reasons why I’ve loved working for the Nailers:
First, the organization has always treated me extremely well. Whenever there is an opportunity to help me grow individually or for me to help the team expand its reach, they’ve always been 100% on board. This summer was also an enormous honor when I learned that I was getting promoted to Vice President. That was something I never envisioned in my career crystal ball, and it is something I am very proud of.
Next, I love the jobs I do. Over the 15 years I’ve been here, I’ve been able to mold my job and responsibilities into roles that I enjoy and roles that I’m good at. Travel is another one of the aspects of the job that I love, and it’s something I requested to do in my first few seasons with the team.
And as I touched on earlier, the fans are amazing. When you’re the voice of a team for as long as I’ve been, you build up a large following, which is cool. I can be myself on the air, do my thing, and not have to worry about whether or not people like me. The fans have also treated my family and me like one of their own, which is special.”
Q: “Ok, now let’s get into the current status of the team. When and how did you find out about the new affiliation, and what were your initial thoughts?”
A: “The change in the affiliation was an interesting process, and something I hadn’t experienced in my career. So, for me, the entire path was unique to navigate. We started hearing rumblings about the possibility of an affiliation change during the regular season, when the Hoffmann Family of Companies was in the process of purchasing the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, at that point, everything was very much up in the air because the sale hadn’t gone through yet. So, while there was still plenty of uncertainty, I at least had an idea that a change could possibly be on the horizon.
The old saying tells you that where there’s smoke there’s fire, and for a while, all we saw was the smoke. However, we started to get a glimpse of the fire on June 25th at the introductory press conference with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Hoffmann Family of Companies. That was the day that David Hoffmann said he would be run out of Naples if the Florida Everblades didn’t get the Penguins as their affiliate. Again, nothing was agreed upon or finalized at that point.
We did our due diligence and talked to a variety of NHL teams who did not have active affiliation agreements in the ECHL, and from that group, the Columbus Blue Jackets were always our number one target. Columbus and Cleveland made all the sense in the world geographically, both in terms of player movement between the AHL and ECHL, as well as having all three teams close for fans to be able to travel and support.
The affiliation with Pittsburgh officially concluded on July 16th and the affiliation with Columbus began on August 6th. During those three weeks, we were getting asked non-stop who our new affiliate would be, which ultimately was good, because it meant people cared. At the same time, people were worried for various reasons, so we had to constantly say that everything was going to be okay and to just be patient, which is easier said than done. August 6th was both exciting and relieving. It was exciting, because it was the beginning of our new chapter with the Blue Jackets and Monsters, which we were more than ready to shout from the heavens. It was relieving, because we finally got to answer the most pressing question of the summer, which I think also eased a lot of folks around our community.
Columbus and Cleveland have both been outstanding to work with so far. I already had great relationships with their broadcasters, so that part was easy for me. Their media relations and social media teams have been extremely welcoming and have been eager to join us in spreading the excitement. And their hockey operations staff has been spectacular as well. Our head coach, Nate DiCasmirro, has been communicating with Columbus Assistant General Manager Chris Clark daily.”
Q: “The Nailers and Penguins were partners for a very long time. You told me although you’re primarily a fan of Boston teams, you still like to see the Penguins do well. How do you separate your fandom from your professional life?”
A: “Haha, the short answer is very carefully. I tried to keep very reserved during my first few seasons, but that got put to the test almost immediately, as the Bruins and Penguins played against each other in the Eastern Conference Final at the end of my second season here. I kept my rooting interests completely internal during that series.
As time went on, I got comfortable enough to let my interests show in the other sports, and obviously, I had a lot to celebrate with the Red Sox and Patriots winning multiple championships. Now, the Red Sox have essentially become part of my identity, so if people see that hat in public, they know to take a second look, because it could be me.
When it comes to hockey, I still try to keep things under wrap for the most part. Deep down, am I still happy when the Bruins do well? Yes. But one of the cool things about this job is that you get to build friendships, which give you other teams that you can support.
We were affiliated with the Penguins for my first 15 years with the team, and I got to know a lot of their staff extremely well. Some of them played an enormous role in helping me develop in professional hockey. It’s easy to root for people who have been that influential in my career. Plus, former Nailer Sergei Murashov is expected to play for Pittsburgh this season, and it’s always awesome to see players who played here thrive at the next level. We had a run of three straight years in which a former Nailer won the Stanley Cup. I was absolutely rooting for those teams to win it.
Now that the affiliation has switched to Columbus, we’ll be supporting the Blue Jackets as well, just as their staff will be cheering for the Nailers. Seeing all three teams have success is the best scenario possible and it builds excitement from top to bottom.
And I mentioned friends earlier. Hockey is a small world, so if I know someone, I’ll root for them to have success. Seattle’s radio broadcaster Everett Fitzhugh and I became good friends when he was the broadcaster for the Cincinnati Cyclones. I’ve known Vegas TV broadcaster Dave Goucher all the way back to his Boston days, plus he worked for the Wheeling Thunderbirds from 1993-95. I’ve gotten to know Peter Laviolette Jr., thanks to working with his son Peter Laviolette III, Los Angeles will be an easy follow this year. Plus, I went to high school with their TV reporter, Carrlyn Bathe.
I will clarify, though, if I go to an NHL game, especially if I’m up in the press box, the emotions stay 100% in check. I can be happy or disappointed internally, but when I’m in their world, it’s professionalism on the outside at all times.”
Q: “We fans in the stands are probably not as good at keeping our emotions in check. It’s a safe bet that many Nailers diehards like me are also Penguins fans. And the Blue Jackets are a rival. I’m sure you see where I’m going here. We’re happy the Nailers so quickly found a new home, but that home being in the house of a rival makes it a little bittersweet. How do we, as fans, overlook that for the sake of supporting our beloved Nailers?”
A: “It’s been interesting to read social media this summer and see how everyone has responded to the changes. The Nailers and Penguins were affiliated with each other for 29 years, and not only that, but being the affiliate of the Penguins was a sizeable piece of Wheeling’s marketing. So, we were curious to see what the reaction would be.
One thing that’s been made clear this summer is that we have a very dedicated fanbase, which is ready to support us regardless of who our affiliate is. People take pride in the fact that the Nailers are Wheeling’s team. This is the team’s 35th season, they’ve always played a huge role in the community, and the fans enjoy being able to connect with the players on a personal level.
While you do occasionally see ECHL players advance all the way up the ladder to the NHL, the overwhelming majority don’t. The Nailers have had 1,062 players in their history, and only 64 of those have reached the NHL. That’s 6%. While we do hope to see some of them one day don a Blue Jackets uniform (or any NHL team for that matter), the reality right now is that they are Nailers, and as our current slogan #ForTheWheel says, they are playing for this city and for this community.”
Q: “Do you know if the Nailers will be changing their color scheme? As mentioned, there’s not much love lost between the Pens and Jackets so I’m assuming the black and gold sweaters will be on their way out after this season. Personally, I would love it if they went back to the old red and black jerseys with gold trim.”
A: “Now that we’ve answered the question of who our affiliate is for the upcoming season, the number one frequently asked question has quickly become, “What’s happening to the colors?”
I’ll quickly cover 2026-27, because that is an easy explanation. This coming season, we will stay with the black and sunflower yellow, because jersey designs have to get submitted in January, and at that time, we weren’t sure which direction the affiliation was headed.
As for 2027-28 and beyond, we haven’t reached a decision yet. There are a ton of options that we can do, so while we have roughly four or so months to make our decision for 2027-28, we want to take our time and make sure what we decide is correct. We want to make sure that it looks good and that it makes sense. We are also extremely blessed with the amount of branding that we have around WesBanco Arena. So, if and when a change is made, we want to make sure that said change has a long shelf life, and that we aren’t facing a scenario where we’re going to have to make another drastic change in a few years.”
A look (above) at the Nailers’ current color scheme compared to their new affiliates.
Q: “Speaking of the old red and black colors, the team recently revealed their new alternate jerseys for this season (pictured below) and I think they look amazing. What is your take on the new alternates? And do you think something that looks similar to this could be what they wear next season as their primary jerseys?”
A: “The first time I saw the new alternates was when we were approving the proofs for the NHL 27 video game. EA Sports does an amazing job with their details and for including the ECHL in the video game. Funny enough, when I first saw the mock in the video game, I wasn’t all that excited.
Then, I saw what they looked like in person, and wow, they are sweet. I can’t believe how much the thin red piping pops when surrounded by the black and grey. The response from the fans was remarkable, and I don’t think I’ve seen a jersey sell so rapidly in the time I’ve been here. They absolutely love it.
We’re actually giving our season ticket holders the opportunity to name the alternate jersey at an upcoming event to give it an identity, and I am eager to see what they come up with.
I will tell you on a personal level that as a broadcaster, my biggest key with jerseys is that as long as I can clearly read the numbers, especially on the sleeves, I’m happy. So, if that gets accomplished, it’s even more of a winner.”
Q: “On the topic of colors and jerseys, do you have any idea if the team will continue to print Thunderbirds merchandise? I very much look forward to the anniversary seasons every five years when they make new Thunderbirds jerseys, shirts, hats, etc.”
A: “Our merchandise manager Matt Allietta came up with the concept of incorporating the throwback red every five years, and he typically has Thunderbirds merchandise to go along with it. I haven’t seen all of his hot new items for this season, but being that it’s year 35, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that type of clothing line in the team store.”
Q: “This affiliation change means the Nailers will now be competing in the Central Division of the Western Conference. Whom do you expect to be their biggest, newfound rival?”
A: “From a travel standpoint, I am ecstatic about returning to the Central Division, and I’m sure the players will be, too.
Don’t get me wrong, there are cities in the North Division that I love. I’m from New England, so I thoroughly enjoyed going to Maine and Worcester. Norfolk is a phenomenal road food city, plus the weather there and in Greensboro is generally nicer in the winter. However, those were some far trips, so there was a lot of wear and tear on the players.
Now that we’re back in the Central Division, everywhere we go is seven hours or less, and there are four cities we can travel to on the day of the game. That also makes it convenient for our fans who want to travel and see the team play on enemy ice.
Except for Reading, all our traditional rivals in the league reside in the Central Division. It was laughable that we only played Toledo three times last season, and they didn’t even come to Wheeling. They’ve been a rival since the team arrived in 1992, and there is a serious amount of dislike from our fans toward them. So, seeing that get cranked up again will be fun. We’ve been playing Cincinnati for 21 years. We won an epic seven-game playoff series against Fort Wayne in 2022, and I think that’s a match-up our fans get extra amped to watch. We played Indy in the playoffs in 2024, and that’s had some chippy battles.
Even though Trois-Rivières won the Kelly Cup out of the North Division in 2025, I think the Central is the tougher division, especially with traditional powers Toledo and Fort Wayne typically lurking at the top.”
Q: “And last but far from least is a question surely on the minds of much of the Nailers faithful: aside from aesthetics, what and how much can we expect to change about the fan experience?”
A: “The fan experience is always a major area of focus for us, because we want to make sure that everyone who comes to our games has an amazing time, regardless of what happens on the ice. If the team wins, that’s the icing on the cake.
The change that I’m looking forward to most is all the new promotional nights that we are hosting this season.
As someone who grew up playing sports video games, I’m most excited for Backyard Sports Night. Pablo Sanchez is a legend, so having him there that night will be incredible. We are also doing a trading card giveaway that night, which was a huge hit when we did it two years ago.
A couple of other new promotions I’m looking forward to seeing are Opening Night with Rachel Clement’s ice skating and fire act, as well as New Year’s Eve with the ramp acrobatics performance. Last year, we dipped our toes into the waters of entertainment acts when we brought in Grace Good on Opening Night and Loop Rawlins on Country Night. I was watching those performances from the broadcast booth, and I thought they were outstanding, so I can’t wait to watch the two we have coming in this season.
Alyssa Scinta is our new manager of game operations and activations. She came to us at the very end of the regular season and brought some fun new ideas to what we did for intermission games and media timeouts, so I’m sure she’ll have all sorts of new things to roll out with a full season at her fingertips.”
Thanks again to DJ for answering our questions. Although many will miss the working relationship between the Nailers and Penguins, I think I speak for most fans in saying we are, above all, grateful that professional hockey is here to stay in Wheeling thanks to their agreement with Columbus and Cleveland. Affiliations, jerseys, and color schemes may change, but the Nailers are still the Nailers and that’s what is most important.
The team’s first game of the 2026-27 season is Friday, October 16 at the Indy Fuel. Their home opener is just over a week later on Saturday, October 24 versus the Toledo Walleye at WesBanco Arena. Click here for their full schedule and be sure to follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.
Let’s go Nailers!
