WHEELING — The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced two transactions, which both take effect immediately. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have loaned goaltender Maxim Pavlenko and defenseman David Breazeale to Wheeling.

Pavlenko, 23, will be making his North American professional debut this season, after playing the last two years in Russia’s VHL with Ryazan-VDV. He posted a sub-3.00 goals against average and a save percentage over .900 in both campaigns. This summer, Pavlenko was the starting goaltender for Team Kazakhstan at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, and he was honored as a top three player on his team. His best performance was a 30-save effort in a 2-1 victory over Norway. The Aksu, Kazakhstan native also suited up for his home country in the Asian Winter Games, which saw Kazakhstan earn a gold medal.

Breazeale, 25, made his professional debut in the spring, when he appeared in two games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Prior to turning pro, he played four seasons of college hockey at the University of Maine, and served as the team’s captain during his junior and senior seasons. The Grandville, Michigan native appeared in 144 career NCAA contests, and recorded eight goals, 43 assists, 51 points, and 42 penalty minutes.