Once A Nailer, Always A Nailer: Peter Laviolette III Relishes Return To His Birthplace
Peter Laviolette III Relishes Return To His Birthplace
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WHEELING - The Wheeling Feeling.
For newly named Wheeling Nailers assistant coach Peter Laviolette III, that saying is more meaningful than people might know.
Laviolette III was actually born in the Friendly City on Dec. 19, 1997, when his father, Peter Jr., was head coach of the Nailers. The team defeated the Dayton Bombers 6-5 that night, so his roots run very deep in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.
"(Former Wheeling head coach) Derek Army said it best, 'Once a Wheeling Nailer, always a Wheeling Nailer,'" Laviolette III said during an interview Friday morning. "That's something to be proud of, just to be a Nailer. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be back in the Wheeling area.
"This move made a lot of sense for me and my wife, the former Lindsey Baker, where we are right now in our lives, because we have a 3-week-old daughter, Leah Marie, and a 100-pound Bernese Mountain Dog. It didn't make sense to be moving right now. I love Wheeling. I love the fans. It just made the most sense for us to be here."
Laviolette III played in 110 games with the Nailers from 2022-23 to 2024-25, scoring 10 goals, recording 18 assists and racking up 292 minutes in penalties. He spent last season between the Orlando Solar Bears and Savannah Ghost Pirates where he combined for two goals and an assist in 29 games.
“Peter Laviolette III was a tremendous ambassador for the Wheeling Nailers as a player, and we are happy that he will be able to begin his coaching career here at home,” said Nailers President & Governor Brian Komorowski. “You couldn’t ask for a better mentor for Peter than his father, who also began his coaching career in Wheeling, and has become one of the best coaches in the NHL. Peter’s passion for the game aligns perfectly with Nate DiCasmirro and Jason Payne, and we look forward to watching him develop as a coach, while teaching all of our new players what it means to be a Nailer.”
In addition to his play on the ice, Laviolette III was a star in the community, as he won the Project BEST Community Award in all three of his seasons in Wheeling.
"I'm a little sad about that. I loved playing," he said of his on-ice career ending. "But at the same time, you have to look yourself in the mirror at a certain point and say maybe enough is enough after a while," he added. "I'm excited to get on with the next chapter in my life. As a player, I think I surpassed my expectations. I'm proud of myself for that part of the new chapter."
Laviolette III doesn't remember much about his early days in Wheeling.
"I moved away (from Wheeling) when I was seven months old," he recalled. "Right after the (ECHL) season ended, my dad got a job with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, so we were out of town quickly and I didn't come back. I didn't know a thing about Wheeling except that I was born there."
“Peter Laviolette III comes from a strong family lineage of coaching, and he was also recommended to me by Derek Army, who coached him for three years here in Wheeling,” Nailers Head Coach Nate DiCasmirro said. “Peter put in a tremendous amount of work to earn this position, plus he has an unbelievable amount of energy, dedication, passion, and enthusiasm for the game of hockey. He is already part of the Nailers family and has started his own family in Wheeling, so I am excited to help him start his coaching career here, just like his dad did almost 30 years ago.”
Following in Dad's Footsteps
The elder Laviolette has carved out a Hall of Fame career coaching in the NHL. He is the NHL's winningest American-born head coach (846 wins) over 23 years. He led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup championship in 2006 and also took the Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and the Nashville Predators (2017) to the Stanley Cup Finals, one of four NHL head coaches to ever do so.
Prior to leaving for the AHL, Laviolette Jr. led the Nailers to the Northern Conference Finals in his only season, 1997-98.
"It's a different lifestyle compared to what a normal kid is used to," he said of being the son of a professional head coach. "I moved 17-18 times when I was a kid, so I've got friends all over the country. A lot of times you are sad to be leaving your friends behind, but now that I'm older, I see it as a new opportunity to make new connections and to have more friendships all around the United States compared to people that have lived in their hometown all of their lives.
"I have friends all up and down the East Coast. I can go to any state and I can call anyone. I just know a lot of people now through the experiences of moving. As sad as it was at the time, it has made me who I am today. I'm very personable, very easy to get along with and I think moving all of those times and meeting new people really helped with that."
He said that he and his dad talk quite a bit about the sport that both love.
"All I do is talk to my dad. Every day," he added. "We talk about systems and we talk about ideas. I did a lot of interviewing this summer, so I was talking with him about that. He said he should make a class about how to interview because he is really good at it."
The elder Laviolette returns to the NHL this upcoming season after being named head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. It will be his seventh NHL franchise. He has also coached the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.
A Lot of Love for Derek Army
"He is amazing. I don't think I would have my hockey career if it wasn't for Derek Army," he said.
"He gave me an opportunity. I was an (NCAA) Division III hockey player at Plymouth State in New Hampshire and a lot of Division III guys don't make the ECHL, but he gave me a chance and I ended up playing in the Coast for five years, and that is something I didn't think I was going to be able to do, but he gave me a chance.
"That is something like what Nate is doing now," Laviolette III continued. "I know I am not going to let him down, just like I wouldn't let Derek down, either."
Army, the winningest coach in Nailers history, is currently an assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL.
When Did He Realize How Famous His Dad Was?
"Probably when he won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. That was the first time I really realized how much he loved hockey. I was 7-8 years old walking around on the ice as he hoisted the Stanley Cup in the air. I was young, but I knew what was going on. That was really cool.
"In 2009, after he got fired by Carolina, he was coaching my 10-year-old team in Florida, he got the job coaching the Philadelphia Flyers and he had to leave my team to go coach them. I didn't understand. 'What do you mean you're leaving our team?' I didn't care, he was my dad and I wanted him to stay there coaching us, but I got over it pretty quickly."
What will his role be as an assistant with the Nailers?
"At the end of the day, I'm just here to support Nate and Jason Payne in whatever role. I'm excited about that opportunity. I want to be loyal to them and help them bring a championship to Wheeling.
"I played against Jason for four years. My first year he would always come up in pre-game warmups and give me a bump and say, 'I love your game, keep going.' I really appreciated those words from him," Laviolette III said. "Over four years, you see him in the halls at the rinks, so we built a pretty good connection over those years playing against each other.
"Once I heard there was a new coach coming to Wheeling, I had to get his number and from the first phone call I had with Nate, we hit it off. The chemistry was great. The energy was great. We seemed to be bouncing back and forth with each other in a good way.
"I'm just like a supporting cast member for both Nate and Jason," he said. "I'm here to help them in any way I can. I'm like a Swiss Army knife for them ... jack of all trades. I will do whatever they ask to take some things off their plates."
Family Connections
"Lindsey's family has been great to me. Her dad, Michael Baker, gave my dad his first coaching job when he was a part owner of the Nailers," Peter III said. "His wife, Sue, was pregnant with Lindsey at the same time that my mom, Kristen, was pregnant with me. We were born two weeks apart in Wheeling Hospital. There were pictures taken of us two. It's cool ... awesome."
Welcome Home, Part 1
"I never thought I would ever end up back in Wheeling. During my last year playing in college, I knew I wanted to play professionally and I worked very hard that summer. I got some video of myself and sent it to Derek and that earned me a tryout with the Nailers. I ended up making the team off of that tryout which is really hard to do. I was excited to get that opportunity from him. He gave me a chance and I am forever grateful for that."
Orlando Connection
Orlando Solar Bears' President Chris Heller is a Bethany College graduate and a Wheeling native.
"Chris Heller was an amazing man. He gave me a good chance in Orlando which I was grateful for. It didn't work out in Orlando and I ended up getting sent to Savannah (Ga.) but I had a couple of buddies on that team that I played with in Wheeling, so that was a good transition. I loved my time in both places.
"After my third year in Wheeling, Derek was moving on to an assistant role in Colorado and I just couldn't think of playing for anyone else. I know that might sound soft or whatever, but I really loved what Derek brought and I didn't think we'd be able to create that again."
Mom Is the Rock of the Laviolette Family
"My mom is the heart and soul of our family. The Laviolette's couldn't operate without my mom. She's the reason that my dad is so successful and she's the reason that I am successful, my brother (Jack) and my sister (Elizabeth Rose) are successful," Peter III stressed. "She's been the most amazing support system you could ever imagine. None of this success happens without her. She's our rock."