WHEELING — The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are excited to announce their eighth player signing of the 2025 offseason. Wheeling has re-signed goaltender Jaxon Castor to an ECHL contract.

Castor, 28, is set to begin his third full season as a professional and third as a member of the Nailers. In his first two seasons with the club, He posted a 16-11-2 record, a 3.15 goals against average, and an .886 save percentage in 30 games. Additionally, this past season, the netminder earned his first call-up to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and made his AHL debut on January 15. Castor was the winning goaltender in a few key games for the Nailers in 2024-25. He was the starter in the first game of the team’s record-setting 16-game point streak on Nov. 2, and he helped the club secure second place in the North Division on April 12. He then backstopped the team’s lone postseason victory on April 25, which gave him five playoff wins in two years.

Wheeling first acquired the Phoenix, Az. native in a trade with the Florida Everblades in November of 2023. Prior to turning pro, Castor attended St. Cloud State University for five years, where he majored in Liberal Arts. He began his college career with the school’s ACHA team, then advanced to the NCAA squad as a sophomore, and eventually became the starter in 2022-23. The Huskies won the 2023 NCHC Tournament, and Castor was named to the All-Tournament Team, thanks to a shutout in the clinching victory over Colorado College. Five days later, Castor was perfect again, as he blanked Minnesota State to earn the first NCAA Tournament shutout in St. Cloud State history.

Castor and the Wheeling Nailers will begin the 2025-26 season in Cincinnati on Saturday, Oct. 18. The first home game is Saturday, Nov. 1 against the Norfolk Admirals.