WHEELING — It will definitely be a ‘Hockey Night’ in Wheeling tonight as the Wheeling Nailers will celebrate their annual Kids’ New Years Eve game. The first-place Nailers will host the Worcester Railers at 6:10 inside WesBanco Arena.

The yearly game was in jeopardy over the weekend when the ECHL and the The Professional Hockey Players’ Association were at odds over a contract. However, the two groups tentatively agreed upon a deal on Saturday, and finished negotiations early Tuesday by agreeing on the new deal.

The PHPA announced Tuesday that its ECHL membership has ratified the new, five-year collective bargaining agreement with the ECHL. The new agreement will run through the 2029-30 season.

“This agreement reflects the unity, resolve, professionalism and discipline of our members throughout this process,” said PHPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay. “Meanigful progress was made in several key areas identified as priorities by our members and this outcome would not have been possible without their engagement and support. On behalf of the PHPA, I want to thank our Bargaining Committee, our ECHL membership, and the PHPA staff for their work in reaching this agreement, as well as our brothers and sisters from the AFL-CIO, NHLPA, PWHLPA, NFLPA, CFLPA, and labor organizations from across North America for their unwavering support.”

The agreement comes at a critical moment for Wheeling, which has the most points (41) in the 30-team developmental league, as it has six home games scheduled in the next two weeks. The Nailers and Railers will play again at 7:10 p.m. Friday, followed by games at 7:10 p.m. Saturday against the Bloomington Bison and three games against the Trois-Rivieres Lions — Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 at 7:10 p.m. and Jan. 11 at 4:10 p.m.

The Nailers lost three home games last weekend due to the work stoppage.

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province for its 38th season in 2025-26. There have been 776 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including eight who have made their NHL debuts in the 2025-26 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 30 of the 32 NHL teams in 2025-26, marking the 28th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province for its 38th season in 2025-26. There have been 776 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including eight who have made their NHL debuts in the 2025-26 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 30 of the 32 NHL teams in 2025-26, marking the 28th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

Since 1967, the PHPA has served to advance and advocate on behalf of its members. The PHPA represents more than 1,800 players across the AHL and ECHL, while also serving more than 10,000 former PHPA members through its Alumni Network.

In other news, Wheeling has acquired forward Owen Cole from the Cincinnati Cyclones in exchange for forward Jordan Kaplan.

Cole, 25, began his professional career with the Kansas City Mavericks in the spring and dished out two assists in eight games. During the offseason, he signed with Cincinnati, where he tallied one goal in 19 contests. His first pro goal tied the score to force overtime on December 17 at Greenville. His head coach in Cincinnati was Riley Weselowski, who was also his assistant coach in Kansas City. Prior to turning pro, the Dunnville, Ontario native played five seasons of college hockey at UMass-Lowell. Cole led the River Hawks in goals (10) during his junior season of 2023-24, then led the team in points (20) one year later as a senior. One of his assistant coaches for his final two seasons in Lowell was former Nailers defenseman Dylan Zink. Cole also spent one season playing for Nailers Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou with the Brooks Bandits in 2020-21. He had 23 points in 20 games, and the team went 18-2-0.

Kaplan, 28, was originally acquired by the Nailers in a trade with the Savannah Ghost Pirates during the 2025 offseason. He appeared in 16 games with Wheeling and accumulated one goal, five assists, and six points. All of his points this season came in pairs, as he posted three multi-point efforts. This will be the eighth ECHL team for the Bridgewater, N.J. native, who has career totals of 45 goals, 74 assists, and 119 points in 222 games.