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ECHL

Wheeling Nailers Hire Longtime Brooks Bandits Coach Ryan Papaioannou

Wheeling Nailers Hire Longtime Brooks Bandits Coach Ryan Papaioannou

Ryan Papaoiannou was named the new head coach of the Wheeling Nailers after winning six league championships with the Brooks Bandits.

Aug 14, 2025 by Chris Peters
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The Wheeling Nailers have a new head coach and it’s one that comes with an impressive winning pedigree. Ryan Papaioannou has been hired to be the 21st head coach in Nailers history after a 17-year run with the Canadian Junior A powerhouse Brooks Bandits.

Papaioannou, who is 41, had been the head coach of the Bandits since the 2009-10 season, following one season as the team's assistant coach. He led Brooks to six league championships including five in the AJHL and one last season in the BCHL. The team also won four Junior A national championships in Canada, most recently in 2023. 

Among Papaioannou's many Brooks players who advanced to college and pro hockey was current NHL superstar Cale Makar, who spent two full seasons of junior hockey and was picked fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche following his 75-point season in 2016-17. 

The process to hire Papaioannou was led by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Wheeling’s NHL affiliate. Jason Spezza, Pittsburgh’s assistant GM and the leader of their minor league operations spearheaded the search.

“Adding Ryan to the organization as the head coach of the Wheeling Nailers is a pivotal hire for the Penguins and our development system,” Spezza said in a statement. “Ryan has consistently delivered winning results, including multiple championships during his 16 years as head coach and general manager of the Brooks Bandits. Additionally, he has a long track record of developing elite players, helping them to reach their potential, and contributing to a winning program. In the coming years, the number of young draft picks and free agents we will have entering pro hockey with our organization will be immense. As a result this hire was of tremendous importance to the Penguins and we are thrilled to get to work with Ryan."

Papaioannou’s career record is astonishing as his teams won 907 or 1,172 regular-season games, marking a .774 winning percentage. He was a three-time AJHL coach of the year.

Papaioannou will replace Derek Army, who left the Nailers for a job as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Last season, Wheeling finished second in the North Division, winning 43 games in their first season back in the North after playing previously in the Central Division. They lost their opening-round playoff series to Norfolk in five games.

Though ECHL hockey has been in Wheeling since 1992 and they’ve had many strong teams over the years, the Kelly Cup has eluded them. The team last played for the championship in 2016, but has not advanced past the second round of the postseason since.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has had a long history of emphasizing the importance of a strong minor league system that includes utilizing the ECHL team to help develop prospects. Wheeling should potentially get a few NHL contracted and AHL contracted players to help bolster their lineup. Inserting a development-minded coach with a long track record of helping players advance is certainly in line with those kinds of philosophies.

This will be quite a change for Papaioannou who will have to navigate a very challenging league to win and win consistently in. Having a track record of winning at other levels usually finds a way of translating, especially when it’s been done so consistently. 

The Wheeling Nailers open the 2025-26 season on Oct. 18 on the road against the Cincinnati Cyclones.

2025 Wheeling Nailers vs Cincinnati Cyclones


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