Wheeling Nailers Name DiCasmirro As 22nd Head Coach Of Franchise
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WHEELING - It didn't take the Wheeling Nailers long in naming a new head coach. However, the search was underway long before the Pittsburgh Penguins cut ties with their ECHL affiliate last week.
Monday afternoon, the Nailers announced 47-year-old Nate DiCasmirro as the 22nd head coach in franchise history. He replaces Ryan Papaioannou who was under contract with the Penguins, but has since taken the head coaching position with the Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliate of Vancouver.
"This is a very proud moment for me. This is something that I've been waiting for and building for for a very long time," DiCasmirro said. "From my first few years of playing as a pro I always knew I wanted to be a coach. Geoff Ward was a big mentor of mine and I started preparing for my coaching career long before my playing career was over.
I'm very excited and can't wait to get to Wheeling and get started working with everybody."
DiCasmirro, native of Atikokan, Ontario, Canada, has never been to Wheeling, but his association with former Nailers' head coach Derek Army and his father, Tim; former Nailers' assistant coach Gene Reilly and former Nailer player, Colin Chaulk.
"I have known Tim and Derek Army for a long time, and both of them spoke highly about Derek's time in Wheeling that it intrigued me to want to experience it for myself when I learned that there was an opening."
DiCasmirro was an assistant coach under Tim Army during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 with the Iowa Wild. Derek Army played in Wheeling from 2014-18 before returning to coach the Nailers from 2020-2025. He is currently an assistant coach with the AHL's Colorado Eagles.
"Tim and Derek are unique people. They are very hard working and spend a lot of time on details. They are a passionate hockey family. When I coached with Tim he was always talking about Derek and hockey. I actually worked with Derek a couple of summers ago at an Olympic hockey camp."
After eight seasons as an assistant coach DiCasmirro will be starting his head coaching career.
"I am also looking forward to joining a team that has enjoyed lots of success on the ice over the past few seasons," DiCasmirro said. "Being a head coach will give me the opportunity to bring everything together and put a product on the ice that everyone can be proud of."
"This is an exciting day. This is the first time that I've got to do this," Nailers President and Governor Brian Komorowski said during a Zoom call with DiCasmirro from Minnesota. "It's a new day in Wheeling history. It's a big, big day for the organization in many ways as we head into a new direction.
"I am extremely proud of this moment," Komorowski added. "I think Nate will be a phenomenal head coach here. Over the past few months we've all known this was a possibility that we'd be looking for a head coach and other things, so we've been working very diligently behind the scenes, having multiple meetings, having multiple phone calls and when the day came that we knew we were ready and proceeding, without that preparation we wouldn't be moving as fast as we are."
Komorowski said the organization conducted numerous interviews and talked to many great candidates.
"When we interviewed Nate and talked with him, we knew he was the right choice," Komorowski said. "Once you talk to him you will understand why. He brings energy. He brings passion. He's a proven winner on the ice, off the ice and behind the bench. I think Wheeling will fall in love with him."
DiCasmirro [played 17 seasons of professional hockey, including 10 years in Europe and seven in the AHL. He played 401 AHL games, reaching the Calder Cup Final in 2002-03 as a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs. During the 2005-06 season he scored a career-best 52 points with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
While playing overseas, all he did was win. He was a member of the Italian Supercup champion HC Bolzano in 2008-09 and 2011-12. He won a pair of Italian Cup championships in 2010-11 and 2012-13, an EIHL playoff championship in 2013-14 and a Slovenian championship in 2016-17. He also played internationally for Team Italy on six occasions, which included a Silver Medal at the 2012-13 World Championships.
DiCasmirro was associate coach of the Graz 99ers in Austria's ICE Hockey League the last two seasons. After experiencing a 54-point turnaround during the 2024-25 campaign, the 99ers won the league's championship last season with a perfect 12-0 record in the playoffs.
DiCasmirro and his wife, Sabrina, have two daughters, Gianna (14) and Avaianna (8).