Head Coach Derek Army On Leadership, Recruiting, And Being The Winningest Head Coach In Wheeling Nailers History
After a weekend sweep and punching the ticket to the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Wheeling Nailers' head coach sat down with Olde City Sports Network to talk about his major milestone, his leadership core, and how he recruits players for his roster.
Coach Army put himself in the record books this past Saturday evening with a 4-1 victory against the Cincinnati Cyclones. He earned his 148th win, passing former Nailers coach Clark Donatelli for the most wins in Wheeling History. “I knew going into the year, I was aware of everything, and to be honest, I was trying to put it at the back of my mind and just worry about everything going on. It was always there, always thinking about it, and DJ would always remind me; my wife reminds me of it. It was something that in this organization with the the history that it has, it's not a five-year organization. This is a long time organization. You go through the list of coaches that have been here; it's a special list. So as it came about, it was very special thinking about just how much I love this organization. Now it is one that I'll kind of probably more digest after the season ends, but for right now, all I can say is how much I love this sort organization to be a top of that is pretty significant and special.”
Recruiting is only part of the responsibilities of head coaches and assistant coaches in the ECHL. They build their roster, adding and subtracting when necessary. Army touches on what works for him and Assistant Coach Mitch Giguere and what they do to add the necessary building blocks for the roster. “So for us, a little bit is kind of identifying what's on the team. So going into the early part of the season and as the middle rolled around was like, what do we need? And I think for us, we identify that we were a little bit smaller, and we needed some size, so that's where a Tymkin and Lieffers come in is they add us some size, they add some of that, maybe things that we don't necessarily possess. And so, Mitch [Giguere, Assistant Coach] has contacts in the USports, and so we use those contacts. For me, it's a lot of agents, so you try to see who's available. Now as the NCAA ends, it's kind of just, you know, whether it be a coach you know, or an agent, and you start watching the kid, and you just try to identify something that we think that could help us, either, you know, finish season or for next season.”
Playoffs. It’s the goal for every coach, player, and team as a whole. Punching the ticket to get that spot is only the first step. For the Nailers, the next step is gaining home-ice advantage. Coach Army touches on the message he is giving to the players in the locker room right now going into playoffs. “It's one that just right now, obviously is enjoy, but it is, you know, we have six games to go. Still fighting for home ice, so continue on the same path. I think it'll be important to at this rate, you know, you have two, three and threes left and some of its heavy travel coming goes Trois-Rivierés. I think it'll be a little bit of making sure guys are healthy, so, you know, maintaining that. If it's a guy who needs a day off, it's kind of a little bit on the bumps and bruises side, then we'll make sure he gets a day off, and we can kind of refocus from there. We'll kind of start to make sure everyone is ready to go in every situation. So, as the playoffs come around, we're dialed in that sense.”
Wheeling is a very young team but has a leadership core that will ensure that messages are passed on, helping the younger guys learn the schedule and the grind of the ECHL. “I rely on those guys for everything. It's important at the start of the year is not something that I pick the captains, although they typically align with what I would want, but the players vote for their leadership group. From there, they have earned the respect of their peers, and then they're kind of a relay between the myself, the staff, the players into what we need, maybe schedule wise, what we need travel wise and what works. I think for us, it's something that we rely on them for everything. It's crazy because [David] Jankowski is in his second year. [Matthew] Quercia is essentially in his second year. You have guys that have been around but are newer, and we are really young, but then you have Draker [David Drake], who is your steady, consummate pro, and so we rely on those guys for everything, especially travel, and also kind of hard schedule to go through.”
Getting to the next level is the goal for every player. Taking what they learn at the ECHL level and applying it at the American Hockey League level. Coach Army touches on what he and Assistant Coach Mitch Giguere do to help the players work on the necessary skills that will be needed when they make the jump. “So it is one that I think, you know, sometimes you're gonna have a D here who is gonna be an offensive D here. When he gets to the American League, he’s not slotted to be an offensive D. Those guys are the elite of elite first round pick, second round pick, and so for us, it's making sure that we stress those points offensively, but at the same time, hit all the things that they're gonna have to do in the American League. So, for example, a guy like Chase Pietila, he will eventually he'll be a PK; he'll have a hard defensive role being the size he is and how smart he is. So for us here, it's just making sure that we continue to polish his offensive game and all the things he does really well, but at the same time, make sure we stress those details that he'll have when he goes up. The same thing with Calvey [Atley Calvert], who's obviously incredible seeing the success he's had, but all year wasn't just “Hey, go score goals”. It was like, we need you to doing everything right. You gonna play some shifts in the middle, you gotta play some on the wing, you gotta make sure you're detailed on the wall. I think we're seeing the success he's had, and that's something that you know you want. Jackson has played really well lately, and Klassen had a really good stint in his time. So that's what the goal is, and it's just making sure they're ready for every situation.”
-Samantha Wismer/ Olde City Sports Network
-Photo Credit: Stacey Grubich/ Olde City Sports Network