1996-97 Wheeling Nailers Roster
East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)
Team Record: 36-29 (SO: 0-5) - 77 points
in the ECHL's North Division
Lost in 1st Round
Coach: Tom McVie (36-29, 5 OTL)
Location: Wheeling, West Virginia
Attendance: 127,540, Avg. 3,644 in 35 home dates
1996-97 Wheeling Nailers StatisticsTeam Record: 36-29 (SO: 0-5) - 77 points
in the ECHL's North Division
Lost in 1st Round
Coach: Tom McVie (36-29, 5 OTL)
Location: Wheeling, West Virginia
Attendance: 127,540, Avg. 3,644 in 35 home dates
The Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League ended the 1996-97 season with a record of 36 wins and 29 losses, with a 0-5 showing in shootouts for 77 points in the ECHL's North Division.
The Nailers netted 298 goals and allowed 291. John Varga scored 56 goals for Wheeling, and Eric Royal tallied 30 or more, too. Eric Royal contributed 61 assists. Olie Sundstrom earned 23 wins in front of the net for the squad and a team-best 3.82 goals against average, topping qualifying goaltenders.
Tom McVie coached the team. The 1996-97 Wheeling Nailers lost in the in 1st Round of the playoffs.
Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Pos. | Birth Date | Height | Weight | S/C | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Ast | C | April 17, 1973 | 5'10" | 176 | L | Chilliwack, BC Canada |
| John Badduke | RW | June 21, 1972 | 6'2" | 212 | R | Calgary, AB Canada |
| Frederic Barbeau | D | April 24, 1975 | 6'2" | 196 | L | Victoriaville, QC Canada |
| John Blessman | D | April 27, 1967 | 6'3" | 216 | L | Agincourt, ON Canada |
| Shane Bogden | G | June 14, 1970 | 5'10" | 175 | Edmonton, ALTA Canada | |
| Francis Bouillon | D | October 17, 1975 | 5'8" | 201 | L | Quebec City, QC Canada |
| Greg Callahan | D | April 25, 1973 | 6'3" | 201 | L | Chestnut Hill, MA USA |
| L.P. Charbonneau | R | October 27, 1974 | 6'1" | 195 | Montreal, QUE Canada | |
| Don Chase | RW | March 17, 1974 | 5'11" | 203 | R | West Springfield, MA USA |
| Jason Clark | LW | May 6, 1972 | 6'0" | 201 | L | Belmont, ON Canada |
| Keli Corpse | C | May 14, 1974 | 5'11" | 176 | L | London, ON Canada |
| Derek Crimin | C | April 3, 1973 | 6'0" | 185 | R | Sault Ste. Marie, MI USA |
| Chad Dameworth | D | July 6, 1972 | 6'2" | 216 | L | Marquette, MI USA |
| Kimbi Daniels | C | January 19, 1972 | 5'10" | 175 | R | Esteven, SK Canada |
| Jeff Daw | C | February 28, 1972 | 6'3" | 190 | R | Carlyle, ON Canada |
| Joaquin Gage | G | October 19, 1973 | 6'0" | 200 | L | Vancouver, BC Canada |
| Steve Gibson | LW | October 10, 1972 | 6'1" | 201 | L | Listowel, ON Canada |
| Ryan Haggerty | LW | May 2, 1973 | 6'0" | 183 | L | Rye, NY USA |
| Marian Kacir | LW/RW | September 29, 1974 | 6'2" | 198 | L | Hodonín, CZE |
| Martin Lepage | D | February 26, 1974 | 6'1" | 185 | L | Longueuil, QC Canada |
| Alex Matvichuk | C | May 13, 1975 | 5'8" | 170 | L | Kiev, Ukraine |
| Ian McIntyre | LW | February 12, 1974 | 6'1" | 190 | L | Montreal, QC Canada |
| Greg McLean | D | June 29, 1975 | 6'2" | 200 | R | London, ON |
| Mike Minard | G | November 1, 1976 | 6'2" | 200 | L | Owen Sound, ON Canada |
| Darcy Mitani | C | October 17, 1973 | 6'0" | 187 | R | Dryden, ON Canada |
| Chad Nelson | D | June 3, 1974 | 6'1" | 207 | L | Cranbrook, BC Canada |
| Perry Pappas | RW | November 3, 1973 | 6'2" | 209 | R | Chatham, ON Canada |
| Mathieu Raby | D | January 19, 1975 | 6'3" | 220 | R | Hull, QC Canada |
| Beau Riedel | G | November 19, 1975 | 6'1" | 185 | L | Calgary, AB Canada |
| Eric Royal | C | February 16, 1972 | 6'1" | 190 | R | Rochester, NH USA |
| Colin Schmidt | C | February 3, 1974 | 5'11" | 185 | L | Regina, SK Canada |
| Ryan Shanahan | RW | April 3, 1975 | 6'1" | 194 | R | Buffalo, NY USA |
| Olie Sundstrom | L | April 24, 1968 | 5'9" | 150 | L | Ange, Sweden |
| Brad Symes | D | April 26, 1976 | 6'2" | 209 | L | Edmonton, AB Canada |
| John Tanner | G | March 17, 1971 | 6'3" | 182 | L | Cambridge, ON Canada |
| Rob Trumbley | F | August 9, 1974 | 5'10" | 185 | R | Regina, SK Canada |
| John Varga | LW | January 31, 1974 | 5'10" | 181 | L | Chicago, IL USA |
