Hockey season is almost in full swing with the NHL starting their games tonight and the AHL starts this weekend. ECHL Wheeling Nailers released their training camp roster, which began on Monday October 6th.

Daniel Laatsch

***Photo Credit: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins***

The 23-year-old spent the 2024-2025 season donning the A for the University of Wisconsin. In 22 games, the defenseman posted two goals and three assists. He played in a total of 126 games with six goals and 20 assists. Laatsch best season was the 2023-2024 season where he posted two goals and nine assists and had the team high of a plus 17 rating. The team record led them to appear in the 2024 NCAA D1 Ice Hockey Championship, where they fell to Quinnipiac during the first round. Laatsch played for Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL in the 2020-2021 season where he had two goals and 17 assists. He was also apart of the USNTD for two season and accumulated four goals and 10 assists. Laatsch was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by Pittsburgh.

Aidan Sutter

The 22-year-old British Columbia native came to the Nailers during the second half of the 2024-2025 season. Sutter began his year at the University of Calgary dressing in three games and tallying one assist. Appearing in 17 regular season games for Wheeling, Sutter earned two assists, one of those assists coming against Tulsa and the other coming against Toledo. In December of 2023, Sutter was acquired by the Nailers via trade with the Florida Everblades. Prior to going back to the University of Calgary, Sutter was signed to the Everblades and dressed in six games for them. Sutter was extended a qualifying offer by the Nailers in the summer of 2024.

Mike Posma

Before turning to the professional ranks at the end of his collegiate career, Posma spent four years playing for Boston College. In those four years, he dressed in 142 games. He notched 15 goals and 21 assists. His best collegiate career season came in the 2022-2023 season when he tallied six goals and four assists. Per Wheeling: One of those goals came against Harvard in The Beanpot Tournament. Posma was a finance major. After the college season ended in the 2024-2025 season, Posma played in four games for the ECHL Florida Everblades, where he tallied one assist against the Atlanta Gladiators on April 9th.

Logan Pietila

Pietila spent the majority of his rookie season with the Wheeling Nailers. He dressed in 69 games and tallied nine goals and 18 assists. He did receive call-ups to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and played in five games, notching one assist. Pietila was signed to his first professional contract which was an AHL contract, in April of 2024 and joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an Amateur Tryout Agreement. During his ATO, he dressed in three games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Before turning professional, Pietila played in the collegiate ranks at Michigan Tech for five years. Playing collegiately hones in on development for those players already going to the professional ranks, or those looking to turn professional.

Ryan Mahshie

Originally signing with the Worcester Railers, Mahshie was traded to the Wheeling Nailers on September 16th. He was acquired by the Railers from the Allen Americans during a trade in December of 2024. Mahshie played in 43 games for Worcester last season and amassed seven points with three goals and four assists. He played in 20 games for the Orlando Solar Bears and totaled one goal. Before turning pro, Mahshie played in 85 games for RPI and notched 24 goals with 21 assists. He then went on to play at the University of Connecticut and played in 21 games with two goals and three assists.

Cole Tymkin

***Photo Credit: Stacey Grubich/Olde City Sports Network***

Prior to Tymkin’s collegiate career, he played in the OHL for the London Knights. He dressed in 199 games and tallied 38 goals and 55 assists. After his time with the OHL and the London Knights, Tymkin went on to Brock University to play in the USports League. USports is the highest level of play for Men’s Ice Hockey at the University level in Canada. During the span of 24 regular season games, Tymkin notched five goals with three assists and 63 penalty minutes. Per the Nailers, Tymkin was the only player on the team to record a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in the 2024-2025 season in a 6-4 road win agains the Adirondack Thunder during the March 8th contest. and assisted with the playoff run.

Bogdans Hodass

Hodass, a Latvian-born player, played his rookie season during the 2024-2025 season with the Iowa Heartlanders. During his time with the Heartlanders, Bogdans accumulated nine points last season with three goals and six assists throughout the span of 40 games. Per the Nailers: Hodass registered his first professional points in the debut game on October 18th, 2024 against the Fort Wayne Komets. Prior to coming to the professional ranks, Hodass played 178 games with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Hodass had a career season in the 2022-2023 season when he gathered 11 goals and 24 assists. In the 2023-2024 season, Hodass led the Hat Tigers team with a +24 rating

Tyler Paquette

***Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek***

The Collegeville, PA native is coming off of his collegiate career where he played for five seasons for the NCAA Penn State. During his time at Penn State, he played in 143 games. In those games he tallied 27 goals and 21 assists. In the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, he finished consecutively with 15 points. He ranked fourth on the Penn State team in the 2021-2022 season for goals. In 2023, Paquette scored the first goal of the NCAA National Tournament, and assisted with the 8-0 win against Michigan Tech. In the 2025 tournament, he earned an assistant during the 3-2 overtime win against UConn, and it sent Penn State to the Frozen Four for the first time in Penn State history. Paquette earned the Academic All-Big Ten four times and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar three times. Paquette majored in finance during his time at Penn State.

Randy Hernandez

Hernández was acquired at the future considerations deadline to complete a trade made with the Atlanta Gladiators that completed a trade made to send Forward Filip Forsmark to Atlanta at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season. Before turning professional, Hernández, a Miami, FL native, played four seasons at the collegiate level. He played one season for Robert Morris University and three seasons for Canisius College. He dressed in 24 games for Robert Morris and tallied 11 goals with 14 assists. In his three seasons with Canisius, he dressed in 67 games and notched 18 goals and 29 assists. In the 2022-2023 season, Hernández assisted Canisius at the AHA tournament championship when Canisius defeated Holy Cross and advanced to the NCAA tournament for only the second time in 10 years .

Craig Armstrong

Matthew Quercia

***Photo Credit: Leah Hollenbach/Olde City Sports Network***

Quercia posted a career year in Wheeling in the 2024-2025 season tallying 20 goals with and 13 assists. Per the Nailers, his goal tally tied for second most on the team in the 2024-2025 season. Quercia posted record PIMS on the team at 188. Quercia appeared in 68 regular season games. The Massacchusetts native has dressed in 151 regular season games for the Nailers. He has tallied 34 goals with 39 assists and a total of 385 penalty minutes. He is 49 regular season games away from reaching 200 games as a Wheeling Nailer, which per the Nailers, has only been completed eight times before.

Jack Works

Works came onto the Nailers teams during the back end of the of 2024-2025 season, when his college season was complete. Works dressed in 14 regular season games and notched three assists. Works assisted the team in three postseason games. Per the Wheeling Nailers: Works become the first player in Nailers history to come from the Northwest Territories. Before coming into the professional ranks, Works dressed in games for two universities, University of Denver and Michigan Tech University. He dressed in 15 games for the University of Denver and tallied one assist. After heading to Michigan Tech University, Works dressed in 105 games over the span of three season. He tallied 23 goals and 29 goals. During the course of the 2023-2024 season, Works finished sixth on the Michigan Tech teams having ten goals and ten assists.

Ricky Boysen

Boysen is coming off playing four years with Trinity College. He dressed in 103 and tallied 31 goals and 27 assists. After finishing his collegiate career, he signed in the SPHL with Quad City Storm and dressed in two games.

Tommy Budnick

***Photo Credit: Tony Saxon/GuelphToday***

Budnick has spent the better part of five seasons in the OHL with three different teams. He played 153 games for the Kingston Frontenacs notching six goals and 41 assists. Budnick was then traded in the 2023-2024 season to the Guelph Storm for a 2026 second round draft pick, 2026 third round draft pick, and a 2027 third round draft pick. Budnick suited up for 51 games for the Guelph Storm and tallied five goals and 18 assists. The Storm traded him to the Brantford Bulldogs in January 2025 for a 2026 third round draft pick and a 2027 fifth round draft pick. During the 2024-2025 season, Budnick collectively, between the Storm and the Bulldogs, had a career year. He tallied seven goals with 20 assists in 46 games.

Zach Urdahl

23-year-old Urdahl, split four years of his collegiate career between University of Wisconsin and University of Nebraska-Omaha. He played in a total of 137 games and tallied 35 goals and 30 assists. This will be Urdahl’s first full professional season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Max Graham

***Photo Credits: Steve Dunsmoor/Kelowna Rockets***

The 21-year-old was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, 139th overall. In a trade on March 9th, 2025, Pittsburgh Penguins acquired his rights along with Chase Stillman and a 2027 third round pick, in exchange for Jonathan Gruden and Cody Glass. Graham played the better part of five seasons in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips and the Kelowna Rockets. In 18 games for the Silvertips, Graham gained two assists. In the course of 219 regular season games for the Kelowna Rockets, he potted 56 goals and 75 assists. In 20 postseason games, Graham assisted by gathering five goals and five assists. Graham served as Assistant Captain in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, and was donned the “C” in the 2024-2025 season before a knee injury took him out of play for the remainder of the season.

Jordan Kaplan

The Bridgewater, New Jersey native is heading into his fifth full professional season. In the past, he has played for Adirondack Thunder, Norfolk Admirals, Reading Royals, Newfoundland Growlers, Worcester Railers, Savannah Ghost Pirates, and is currently under contract with the Wheeling Nailers. Kaplan played three years at Sacred Heart University and one year at University of Vermont. Kaplan has suited up in 206 ECHL games and tallied 44 goals and 56 assists with a career year coming last season with 18 goals and 31 assists with the Worcester Railers. Kaplan did spend 11 games in Germany with Saale Bulls Halle tallying four goals and six assists.

Tyler Burnie

Entering his second professional season, the 26 year old will suit up for the Wheeling Nailers after having played for the Rapid City Rush and the Allen Americans in the 2024-2025 season. In the span of 51 games with Rapid City, Burnie earned five goals and eight assists. In March, he was traded to the Allen Americans where he played in 14 games and earned two goals and four assists. Before turning to the professional ranks, the Ontario native played in three seasons at Brock University in the 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 seasons. During the span of 62 games with Brock, he averaged nearly a point per game in his final two seasons and finished second on the Brock team in goals during both seasons. During his final season he was named OUA West Second Team All-Star having 15 goals and 18 assists in 27 games. Burnie played with Cole Tymkin in college and in the GOJHL Caledonia Corvairs.

Trevor LeDonne

***Photo Credit/St. Thomas University***

On September 18th, 2025, The Nailers announced they acquired LeDonne in exchange for future considerations, coming on the heels of losing long time former Nailers Defenseman David Drake to Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Drake was a free agent to sign in the ECHL after not having a qualifying offer by Wheeling. The 25-year-old Ohio native, made his pro debut with the Allen Americans in March after finishing his college career. LeDonne played in 15 games for Allen and tallied one goal with three assists. His first point came against the Jacksonville Icemen, and his first pro goal came against the Tulsa Oilers in April. Before coming to the professionnal ranks, LeDonne completed two years at the University of St. Thomas, playing in 48 games with one goal and seven assists. LeDonne then went to Robert Morris University and placed in 52 games and tallied three goals and three assists. In his junior days, LeDonne played for the Oakville Blades, Brantford 99ers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League.

Zach Gallant

After spending two years playing for McGill University, Gallant produced 20 goals with 36 assists. He ranked fourth on the team in points in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons. Prior to going back to college, Gallant played in 78 AHL games for the San Jose Barracuda in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 season where he tallied four goals and 14 assists and 103 PIMS. Gallant was drafted in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings and spent two seasons in the OHL as the Captain of the Petersbourough Petes.

Brent Johnson

After spending two years with the University of North Dakota and two years with Ohio State University, playing in 111 games, the defenseman posted 13 goals and 22 assists. After signing with Wilkes-Barre last season, Johnson spent three games with the Wheeling Nailers, amassing one goal and one assist. He dressed in one game for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with no points.

Emil Pieniniemi

Pieniniemi has played with another player who is likely to make the roster for Pittsburgh this year, Ville Koivunen, in Finland. Pieniniemi played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL and led the teams defensemen. He dressed in 60 games and notched 10 goals with 50 assists. This will be his first professional season in the United States.

Brayden Edwards

***Photo Credit: Herald photo/Justin Seward***

The 20-year-old Abbotsford, BC native just finished a four-year career in the WHL with Winnipeg Ice and Lethbridge Hurricanes. During his first year in the WHL, He played for the Winnipeg Ice in 11 games. He tallied three assists. In January of 2022, Edwards was traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, along with second-round draft pick in the 2025 and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft. In return, Winnipeg Ice received forward Chase Wheatcroft and a fifth-round pick. During Edwards tenure with the Hurricanes, he dressed in 236 regular season games and notched a total of 82 goals and 117 assists. In the post-season, he dressed for 28 games and gathered 10 goals and 14 assists. Edwards has a special teams upside and a sound game that will only strengthen during his professional career.

Jake Smith

After spending three seasons in the OHL with the North Bay Battalion, Smith elected to complete his career overseas. He played for HC Bolzano, Gherdëina, Ritten/Renon, HC Pustertal, all teams in Italy. He finished last season in Esbjerg Energy in Denmark. He played in 24 games and finished 11-11-0 and a 3.03 GAA and .901 save percentage.

Logan Neaton

The Nailers acquired Neaton at the future considerations deadline from the Indy Fuel. This completed the trade that sent defenseman Owen Norton to the Fuel. Last year, during Neaton’s rookie season, he played in Kalamazoo, Allen, Kansas City, and Indy. Neaton posted 3.61 GAA and .881 save percentage during the course of seven games. Before turning to the professional ranks, Neaton played five years of collegiate hockey. Two years were played at UMass-Lowell, and then threee at Miami University in Ohio.

Jaxon Castor

Castor played at the collegiate level for five seasons at St. Cloud University in Minnesota. Castor played in 53 games throughout his time at St. Cloud and averaged a 2.54 GAA and .906 save percentage throughout the five seasons. Throughout Castor’s professional career, he has played for the Florida Everblades, Charlotte Checkers, Atlanta Gladiators, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and what will now be his third season with the Wheeling Nailers. Throughout Castor’s first two seasons with Wheeling, he has posted a winning record, and earned his first AHL call-up in the 2024-2025 season to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He has posted a 16-11-2 record, a 3.15 goals against average, and an .886 save percentage over the span of 30 games.

Castor stepped in during the 2023-2024 playoff run for the Wheeling Nailers for eight games. In the 2024-2025 season, he played in one post-season game.

-Samantha Wismer/Olde City Sports Network

- Photo Credit: Wheeling Nailers

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