The Wheeling Nailers will welcome back one of their assistant captains from last season, Louie Roehl, as he has signed for the 2024-25 ECHL season. Roehl played just his second season of pro hockey and second season with the Nailers. Roehl has been a consistent defenseman for the Nailers, having played in 104 regular season games between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, as well as all nine games in the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Roehl has tallied 33 points (5g-28a) in the regular season and one point in the postseason, which was an assist. Having more experience in the ECHL, Roehl will be leaned upon more this season, not only as a player but as a leader too.
Prior to his pro career, Roehl played a season in the North American Hockey League for the Minnesota Wilderness during the 2016-17 season and would see time in the United States Hockey League for three games with the Waterloo Black Hawks that same season. The Eden Prairie, MN native played 57 games in the regular season with the Wilderness, where he notched four goals and 30 assists for 34 points and had a +6 goal differential. During the Robertson Cup Playoffs, Roehl played 10 games and tallied 7 points (2g-5a). Roehl was named to the NAHL All-Central Division Rookie Team as well as the NAHL All-Rookie Second Team in his only season in the league.
After his junior hockey career, Roehl went to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he helped bring back-to-back NCAA National Championships (2016-17 and 2017-18) and two NCAA National Collegiate Hockey Conference Championships (2018-19 and 2021-22). In his five-year career, where he was named assistant captain in his final two years, Roehl played 180 games, notching seven goals and 22 assists while having an incredible +28 goal differential rating.
