On Wednesday September 23rd, the Wheeling Nailers announced the signing of American centreman Tyler Drevitch. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. Drevitch, from Massachusetts, has played with two members of last year’s Nailers in Yushiroh Hirano and Aaron Titcomb.
The former Merrimack captain took to the ice in 94 games where he recorded nine goals along with seven assists. He did so for 16 points. In Wheeling’s press release on Wednesday morning, Mark French, head coach of the Nailers, said that Drevitch brings leadership and a different presence to the line up.
Speaking of the team’s latest signing, Wheeling’s bench boss went on to say, “Tyler is a two-way forward who brings a lot of intangibles to the table. He was counted on for leadership at his college program, and we’re looking forward to having him bring those qualities to our team.”
On the other hand, the left-handed shooter is excited to be joining a historic organization. “The history that Wheeling has and the way that the organization treats its players made the Nailers a no-brainer for me. I describe my play as a two-way forward, who is gritty and will get in your face.”
Tyler Drevitch joins forwards Cody Bradley, Alec Butcher, Brad Drobot, Andrew Gaus and Luke Lynch. This also includes Will Smith. On the defensive end, this includes Marc-Olivier Duquette, Chad Duchesne, Jeremy Beaudry, Shane Kuzmeski and Kyle McKenzie. All in all, this gives the Nailers 13 players under contract. They’ve also reportedly signed defensemen Nick Minerva and forward Carlos Fornaris.