When Derek Army first stepped behind the Nailers' bench as an assistant coach in June 2020, Wheeling was in need of a culture change.
Simply put -- most players really didn't want to be there. Of course, any player in the minors wants to play at a higher level. But even by ECHL standards, Wheeling wasn’t seen as a desirable destination.. It was hard to land good signings, it was even harder to have players re-sign, and the NHL club wouldn't send too many prospects down there in part because it just was not the best place to develop. The team hadn't qualified for the playoffs since its 2016 run to the Kelly Cup Final.
When Army took over, the team changed for the better. He led the team back to the playoffs in his first season as head coach, and the Nailers qualified for the playoffs in three of his four seasons behind the bench. More importantly, he saw 62 of his players recalled to the AHL, a testament to the success at the development level.
It was only a matter of time before an AHL team took notice. And on Monday, the Colorado Eagles named Army an assistant coach, where he'll join the staff of newly-hired head coach and former Penguin Mark Letestu.
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately. The Nailers, being independently owned, are responsible for the hire themselves, and it isn't a position directly filled by the Penguins' hockey operations staff. But a team representative told me on Monday that the "management group here in Pittsburgh is going to be very involved in the coaching search in Wheeling. They view it as a very important position in terms of development, especially because there will be a lot of AHL-contracted players down there this season."
Army leaves Wheeling as the winningest coach in franchise history with 153 wins. Between his time as a player and his time behind the bench, he spent 10 seasons in Wheeling, more than any player or coach in franchise history.
I first interviewed Army back when he was the Nailers' 26-year-old captain, ending up in Wheeling for part of a season for the fifth consecutive year. I asked him then what kept drawing him back to Wheeling -- for a player to keep willingly re-signing as he did was unique even then. He spoke about having a real connection with the city, and told me, "if I do have to be sent down, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. I love it here."
It was a sentiment at the time that you really wouldn't hear from other players, and that you didn't really hear from anyone over the next couple years. But that genuine love Army had for Wheeling, commitment to bringing the Nailers back to relevancy and enthusiasm for development turned Wheeling back into a place that players wanted to be, and turned the Nailers back into a winning team that was sending players to the next level. That "if I do have to be sent down, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else" thought is one you now hear frequently from players who have played under Army.
I went to Wheeling in April for what ended up being the loss that eliminated the Nailers for the playoffs. And what was the most disappointing to Army was not being able to go further with that group, after how tight-knit and dedicated they all had become.
"What I love most about the guys is they're part of my family now," Army said. "My daughter and son call them their teammates. They play hockey in the hallway with my son and daughter -- not just one guy, every guy. I'm just thankful that they bought in. They were all in here. They believed in being Nailers to their core. All of us were a family. It's disappointing to lose this way. We all had ambitions for a championship, it's heartbreaking. It's tough."
After Army spoke, his oldest child, four-year-old Boone, wanted to go for a postgame skate. And despite the loss still being fresh, some of his "teammates" kept their skates on to go out there and pass the puck around with him while Army watched. Long after, players still hadn't begun to leave the building yet, still hanging out with each other in the locker room, not wanting to go anywhere else.
The impact Army had on Wheeling will be lasting, especially with a number of those players re-signed for next year. Coupled with the Penguins' increased investment in development and effort to treat Wheeling as a legitimate place for development, the Nailers are still in a good spot. But they'll have big shoes to fill behind the bench this summer.
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THE ASYLUM
Army leaves Wheeling better than he found it
When Derek Army first stepped behind the Nailers' bench as an assistant coach in June 2020, Wheeling was in need of a culture change.
Simply put -- most players really didn't want to be there. Of course, any player in the minors wants to play at a higher level. But even by ECHL standards, Wheeling wasn’t seen as a desirable destination.. It was hard to land good signings, it was even harder to have players re-sign, and the NHL club wouldn't send too many prospects down there in part because it just was not the best place to develop. The team hadn't qualified for the playoffs since its 2016 run to the Kelly Cup Final.
When Army took over, the team changed for the better. He led the team back to the playoffs in his first season as head coach, and the Nailers qualified for the playoffs in three of his four seasons behind the bench. More importantly, he saw 62 of his players recalled to the AHL, a testament to the success at the development level.
It was only a matter of time before an AHL team took notice. And on Monday, the Colorado Eagles named Army an assistant coach, where he'll join the staff of newly-hired head coach and former Penguin Mark Letestu.
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately. The Nailers, being independently owned, are responsible for the hire themselves, and it isn't a position directly filled by the Penguins' hockey operations staff. But a team representative told me on Monday that the "management group here in Pittsburgh is going to be very involved in the coaching search in Wheeling. They view it as a very important position in terms of development, especially because there will be a lot of AHL-contracted players down there this season."
Army leaves Wheeling as the winningest coach in franchise history with 153 wins. Between his time as a player and his time behind the bench, he spent 10 seasons in Wheeling, more than any player or coach in franchise history.
I first interviewed Army back when he was the Nailers' 26-year-old captain, ending up in Wheeling for part of a season for the fifth consecutive year. I asked him then what kept drawing him back to Wheeling -- for a player to keep willingly re-signing as he did was unique even then. He spoke about having a real connection with the city, and told me, "if I do have to be sent down, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. I love it here."
It was a sentiment at the time that you really wouldn't hear from other players, and that you didn't really hear from anyone over the next couple years. But that genuine love Army had for Wheeling, commitment to bringing the Nailers back to relevancy and enthusiasm for development turned Wheeling back into a place that players wanted to be, and turned the Nailers back into a winning team that was sending players to the next level. That "if I do have to be sent down, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else" thought is one you now hear frequently from players who have played under Army.
I went to Wheeling in April for what ended up being the loss that eliminated the Nailers for the playoffs. And what was the most disappointing to Army was not being able to go further with that group, after how tight-knit and dedicated they all had become.
"What I love most about the guys is they're part of my family now," Army said. "My daughter and son call them their teammates. They play hockey in the hallway with my son and daughter -- not just one guy, every guy. I'm just thankful that they bought in. They were all in here. They believed in being Nailers to their core. All of us were a family. It's disappointing to lose this way. We all had ambitions for a championship, it's heartbreaking. It's tough."
After Army spoke, his oldest child, four-year-old Boone, wanted to go for a postgame skate. And despite the loss still being fresh, some of his "teammates" kept their skates on to go out there and pass the puck around with him while Army watched. Long after, players still hadn't begun to leave the building yet, still hanging out with each other in the locker room, not wanting to go anywhere else.
The impact Army had on Wheeling will be lasting, especially with a number of those players re-signed for next year. Coupled with the Penguins' increased investment in development and effort to treat Wheeling as a legitimate place for development, the Nailers are still in a good spot. But they'll have big shoes to fill behind the bench this summer.
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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