WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced their schedule for the 2022-23 season - the 31st season of professional hockey in Wheeling.
The Nailers are committed to delivering a family friendly schedule, and that is once again true for 2022-23, as 33 of the 36 home games will be played on weekends or holidays, plus the Education Day game will make its return after a two-year absence. Wheeling will open the season at home for just the second time in six years, while the traditional Thanksgiving Eve and New Year's Eve games are early highlights on the docket. Central Division rivalries heated up in a big way during 2021-22, and being successful against divisional opponents will be key in making a return to the playoffs, as 54 of 72 games will be played against Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Indy, Iowa, Kalamazoo, and Toledo. 2022 Kelly Cup Playoff opponents Fort Wayne and Toledo top the list, as the Nailers will face those two squads 11 times each, including seven home battles with the Komets. Outside of the division, Wheeling will see Norfolk and Reading eight times each, and will make a two-game trip to Kansas City. Game times will remain the same, as Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday games will begin at 7:10, Sunday games will begin at 4:10, New Year's Eve will begin at 6:10, and Education Day will begin at 10:45 a.m.
The entire month of October will be spent in the Friendly City, as the Nailers will play their first four games on home ice. Opening Night will be Saturday, October 23rd against the Toledo Walleye, who will stick around for a 4:10 tilt the following day. Cincinnati and Iowa will come to town during the second weekend of the campaign, when Wheeling hopes to deliver a pre-Halloween spook to a couple of rival squads.
November will begin with the first three road games of the year, as the Nailers will play a pair of contests in Reading, before hoping to teach the Walleye a thing or two on their Education Day. Wheeling will then play all of Veteran's Day Weekend at home. Kalamazoo is the opponent for Veteran's Day, then it's the first two clashes with Fort Wayne after the epic seven-game playoff series which was won by the Nailers. Thanksgiving Week features a couple of home contests as well, starting with a visit from Indy on Thanksgiving Eve, and concluding with a tussle against Toledo on the Sunday.
The busiest month in terms of number of games is December, as Wheeling will take the ice 14 times. The month gets rolling with some playoff rematches, as the Nailers will play a home-and-home series against the Komets on the 2nd and 3rd, before the Walleye come in to finish of that weekend. Seven of the next nine games will be played on the road, before a two-game series against Reading closes out the 2022 calendar year on December 30th and 31st.
The New Year's Eve Weekend series starts a run in which eight of nine games will be played at home, leading up to the 2023 ECHL All-Star Classic in Norfolk. Part of that is a four-game home week, when Wheeling will challenge four different opponents - Reading, Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, and Kalamazoo. Hopefully, Nailers Nation will get their fill at the beginning of January, as the last two weeks of the month will both be spent on the road in Kalamazoo, Indy, and Kansas City.
The month with the most home games is February, as Wheeling will play eight of 12 games in front of its home fans, including three multi-game home weekends. Oddly enough, that month will only see three different opponents, as the Nailers will play five games each against Iowa and Norfolk, while Toledo gets sprinkled in twice.
The final two months of the campaign will test Wheeling's ability to play on the road, as 13 of the last 20 regular season contests will be played outside of West Virginia. Conveniently, most of those road games come in bunches, as the Nailers will have four trips of three games each, including three-game series in Norfolk and Iowa. After playing in Toledo's Education Day game in November, Wheeling will return the favor by hosting the Walleye in their Education Day game on March 8th. The Nailers will play their fourth and final home three-in-three in March, when they welcome Kalamazoo and Reading on the 24th, 25th, and 26th. The home portion of the regular season will wrap up with games against Iowa and Fort Wayne on April 7th and 8th, before Wheeling makes one final excursion out to Iowa to put a bow on the 2022-23 regular season.
2022-23 Opponent Breakdown
11 vs. Fort Wayne - 7 home, 4 away
11 vs. Toledo - 6 home, 5 away
10 vs. Iowa - 4 home, 6 away
8 vs. Norfolk - 5 home, 3 away
8 vs. Reading - 5 home, 3 away
8 vs. Cincinnati - 3 home, 5 away
7 vs. Kalamazoo - 4 home, 3 away
7 vs. Indy - 2 home, 5 away
2 vs. Kansas City - 2 away
2022-23 Schedule
Sat. Oct. 22 vs. Toledo, 7:10
Sun. Oct. 23 vs. Toledo, 4:10
Fri. Oct. 28 vs. Cincinnati, 7:10
Sun. Oct. 30 vs. Iowa, 4:10
Fri. Nov. 4 at Reading, 7:00
Sat. Nov. 5 at Reading, 7:00
Wed. Nov. 9 at Toledo, 10:35 a.m.
Fri. Nov. 11 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:10
Sat. Nov. 12 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Sun. Nov. 13 vs. Fort Wayne, 4:10
Fri. Nov. 18 at Toledo, 7:15
Sun. Nov. 20 at Indy, 5:00
Wed. Nov. 23 vs. Indy, 7:10
Fri. Nov. 25 at Kalamazoo, 7:00
Sun. Nov. 27 vs. Toledo, 4:10
Fri. Dec. 2 at Fort Wayne, 8:00
Sat. Dec. 3 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Sun. Dec. 4 vs. Toledo, 4:10
Wed. Dec. 7 at Cincinnati, 7:35
Fri. Dec. 9 at Cincinnati, 7:35
Sat. Dec. 10 at Kalamazoo, 7:00
Wed. Dec. 14 at Indy, 7:00
Fri. Dec. 16 vs. Indy, 7:10
Sat. Dec. 17 at Fort Wayne, 7:30
Sun. Dec. 18 vs. Cincinnati, 4:10
Fri. Dec. 23 at Toledo, 7:15
Wed. Dec. 28 at Reading, 7:00
Fri. Dec. 30 vs. Reading, 7:10
Sat. Dec. 31 vs. Reading, 6:10
Fri. Jan. 6 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Sat. Jan. 7 at Cincinnati, 7:35
Sun. Jan. 8 vs. Kalamazoo, 4:10
Wed. Jan. 11 vs. Reading, 7:10
Fri. Jan. 13 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Sat. Jan. 14 vs. Cincinnati, 7:10
Sun. Jan. 15 vs. Kalamazoo, 4:10
Sat. Jan. 21 at Kalamazoo, 7:00
Sun. Jan. 22 at Indy, 3:00
Fri. Jan. 27 at Kansas City, 8:05
Sat. Jan. 28 at Kansas City, 8:05
Fri. Feb. 3 vs. Iowa, 7:10
Sat. Feb. 4 vs. Iowa, 7:10
Sun. Feb. 5 at Toledo, 5:15
Wed. Feb. 8 vs. Toledo, 7:10
Fri. Feb. 10 vs. Norfolk, 7:10
Sat. Feb. 11 vs. Norfolk, 7:10
Fri. Feb. 17 at Iowa, 8:05
Sat. Feb. 18 at Iowa, 8:05
Sun. Feb. 19 at Iowa, 3:05
Fri. Feb. 24 vs. Norfolk, 7:10
Sat. Feb. 25 vs. Norfolk, 7:10
Sun. Feb. 26 vs. Norfolk, 4:10
Fri. Mar. 3 at Indy, 7:00
Sat. Mar. 4 at Fort Wayne, 7:30
Sun. Mar. 5 at Toledo, 5:15
Wed. Mar. 8 vs. Toledo, 10:45 a.m.
Fri. Mar. 10 at Fort Wayne, 8:00
Sat. Mar. 11 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Wed. Mar. 15 at Norfolk, 7:05
Fri. Mar. 17 at Norfolk, 7:05
Sat. Mar. 18 at Norfolk, 6:05
Fri. Mar. 24 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:10
Sat. Mar. 25 vs. Reading. 7:10
Sun. Mar. 26 vs. Reading, 4:10
Fri. Mar. 31 at Indy, 7:00
Sat. Apr. 1 at Cincinnati, 7:35
Sun. Apr. 2 at Cincinnati, 3:00
Fri. Apr. 7 vs. Iowa, 7:10
Sat. Apr. 8 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:10
Wed. Apr. 12 at Iowa, 8:05
Fri. Apr. 14 at Iowa, 8:05
Sat. Apr. 15 at Iowa, 8:05
-Nailers-