WHEELING, W.Va. — Supporters of the Wheeling Nailers are urging the Pittsburgh Penguins to maintain the team’s long-standing affiliation as uncertainty surrounds the future of the partnership.
The Nailers have served as the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate since 1998, creating a player development pipeline that has connected the two organizations for nearly three decades.
Questions about the future of that relationship surfaced after the Penguins were purchased by the Hoffman Family, a Chicago-based ownership group that also owns the Florida Everblades, another ECHL franchise.
Reports indicate the new ownership is considering making the Everblades the Penguins’ primary ECHL affiliate, a move that would end the Penguins’ affiliation with the Nailers.
The possibility has prompted concern among Nailers fans, many of whom say the partnership has become an important part of hockey in the Ohio Valley.
Several supporters recently traveled to Pittsburgh to show their support for keeping the affiliation in place, while others have taken their efforts online.
A petition calling on the Penguins to continue their relationship with the Nailers has gained momentum, collecting more than 600 signatures and hundreds of shares on social media.
As of Sunday, neither the Pittsburgh Penguins nor the Wheeling Nailers had announced a final decision regarding the future of the affiliation.
Fans who wish to support keeping the affiliation between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Wheeling Nailers intact can sign an online petition at https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-pittsburgh-penguins-and-wheeling-nailers-together.
