Overview
- Columbus announced a two-year affiliation with the Wheeling Nailers on Thursday, completing the Blue Jackets’ minor-league ladder beneath the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
- The Penguins ended their roughly 29-year partnership with Wheeling earlier this summer and have moved their ECHL affiliation to the Florida Everblades, a club owned by the Penguins’ new Hoffmann Family ownership group.
- Team officials said the new link makes logistical sense because Wheeling sits about 128 miles from Columbus and roughly 166 miles from Cleveland, which should speed player moves and reduce travel time.
- Wheeling is the only professional hockey team in West Virginia and has deep ECHL roots, dating to 1981 and relocating to Wheeling in 1992, with recent on-ice success including a 2026 regular-season title and a playoff run.
- The agreement restores a formal third-tier development partner for Columbus after a season without one and could increase scouting, call-up flexibility, and regional fan engagement for all three clubs.