The Wheeling Nailers did not have to wait long for a new NHL affiliate. After the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they were ending one of the longest affiliations in professional hockey, ending a 29-year relationship, Wheeling has entered into a new partnership with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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It’s certainly a change for Wheeling fans, but their new affiliates will not be a ton farther away at least. The Blue Jackets, which had been without an ECHL affiliate since splitting with the Kalamazoo Wings after the 2022-23 season.
Adding the Nailers will keep Columbus’s entire minor league system within driving distance, when you factor in their AHL affiliate is the Cleveland Monsters. Wheeling is two hours from Columbus and just about two and a half hours from Cleveland. While Wheeling is quite a bit closer to Pittsburgh, the distance to the Penguins’ AHL Affiliate in Wilkes-Barre is much further than Cleveland in terms of road miles.
Nailed it 💥
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 6, 2026
We're excited to announced a new affiliation agreement with the @WheelingNailers! The Nailers will serve as our ECHL affiliate starting this season through the 2027-28 campaign.
📝 https://t.co/bBvqtBzpV1 pic.twitter.com/krQbXADg2K
The Penguins announced the end of the affiliation last month. It was not a surprising announcement given that Pittsburgh had been recently acquired by the Hoffman Family of Companies, which also includes the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. The Hoffmans will now have all of their hockey teams under one ownership umbrella and affiliation.
That left Wheeling out despite one of the most historic partnerships in minor league hockey history.
Now the Nailers can pave a new path forward.
"We are excited to begin our new partnership with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Monsters," said Nailers president & governor Brian Komorowski said in a statement. "Geographically, this makes all of the sense in the world for us. When transactions occur, the travel for the players will be extremely convenient. This also gives us an excellent opportunity to expand our growing fanbase deeper into Ohio, as we look forward to welcoming fans from Columbus and Cleveland to WesBanco Arena. We had amazing conversations with Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell and Assistant General Manager Chris Clark, which makes us that much more eager to officially get things started."
Prior to today's affiliation announcement, two players have skated for both @WheelingNailers and #CBJ.
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) August 6, 2026
Zenon Konopka played for Wheeling in 2002-03 and Columbus from 2006-08, while Mark Letestu skated for the Nailers in 2007-08 and CBJ from 2011-15 and 2017-19. pic.twitter.com/s3CqJylJdt
Columbus has had seven different ECHL affiliates over the course of their tenure in the NHL dating back to its longest-running partnership with Dayton from 2000-07, which is no longer in the ECHL. The team had two stints with the Kalamazoo Wings, but have been without a “AA” affiliate since 2023.
"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, in a statement. “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."
The Wheeling Nailers will open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Indy Fuel on Oct. 16.
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