WHEELING – The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are excited to announce their 10th player signing of the 2024 offseason. Wheeling has re-signed forward Peter Laviolette III to an ECHL contract.

Laviolette, 26, returns for his third season with the Nailers, after posting his second straight 11-point campaign. He brings a physical presence to the lineup, as he has ranked second on the club in penalty minutes in back-to-back seasons. The forward is also a very popular voice both on the ice and in the locker room, which translated to the team going 24-17-4 when he suited up in 2023-24. One of Laviolette’s highlight games from this past season was a two-goal performance on February 19th, which helped Wheeling earn its first ever victory in Utah.

In addition to his play, the Wheeling native has excelled off of the ice, as he has won back-to-back Project BEST Community Player of the Year Awards. Laviolette has reached double digits in community appearances during both of his seasons with the Nailers, highlighted by his work with the Booze, Cruise, You’ll Lose Program.

This past season, Laviolette passed Bryan Ewing for the most career games played for the Nailers by a Wheeling native, as he enters the 2024-25 season with 83 games played. He is the son of former Nailers Head Coach and current New York Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette Jr., who ranks seventh in NHL history with 807 career head coaching wins.

A fun personal fact about Peter III is that he was born in Wheeling on a Nailers game day that his father coached. Peter Jr.’s Nailers defeated the Dayton Bombers, 6-5, on December 19, 1997.

Laviolette III and the Nailers will open the 2024-25 season on the road against the Maine Mariners on Friday, Oct. 18. The team’s home opener is Saturday, Nov. 2 against the Bloomington Bison at 7:10 p.m.