Outside of Pittsburgh, the Penguins' minor league clubs, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Wheeling Nailers, have had successful campaigns in the AHL and ECHL, respectively.
Following a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday evening, Nailers' head coach, Derek Army, set a new franchise record with his 148th win behind the bench.
The 33-year-old from North Kingstown, RI, has guided the Nailers to a 38-23-3-1 record this year, which ranks fifth best in the ECHL's Eastern Conference.
Army has been Wheeling's head coach since Apr. 20, 2021, earning a promotion from an assistant coach role during his first season. In addition to his coaching duties, he also serves as the Nailers' Director of Hockey Operations, a role he took on at the start of the 2021-22 season.
After securing his 148th win, Army passed Clark Donatelli, head coach from 2011 to 2015, and the last bench boss to lead the club to the Kelly Club Final in 2016, a six-game loss to the Allen Americans.
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Now in his fourth year behind the bench, Army has led the Nailers to three winning seasons (including this year) and two playoff runs in 2022 and 2024, each ending in the second round.
With seven games left in the season, there's a chance the Nailers return to the postseason for the 17th time in franchise history.
At the end of the season, Army will finish his fourth full season as head coach of the Nailers, which ties him with Donatelli for longest tenures.
As a player, Army went undrafted and played 97 games in the AHL, following four seasons at Providence College. Moreover, he only played for Wheeling in the ECHL, serving as team captain from 2016 until his retirement in 2018.
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