The Gabriel D’Aigle situation finally has a landing spot.
On Tuesday evening, the Wheeling Nailers dealt the Penguins prospect goaltender to the Florida Everblades, closing the loop on a strange little affiliation wrinkle that had hung around since Pittsburgh cut ties with Wheeling and shifted its ECHL partnership to Florida.
Wheeling got depth defenseman Hunter Sansbury back in the deal. Sansbury is 25 and spent four seasons at Sacred Heart University, though he appeared in only two games for Florida last season.
The trade ends an odd stretch that started when the Penguins terminated their affiliation with Wheeling on July 16 and chose the Hoffman Family of Companies-owned Everblades instead. That move came after the Hoffmanns were approved by the NHL Board of Governors as the Penguins’ new owners on June 23. At the introductory press conference, chairman of the board David Hoffmann said “100%” the organization would make Florida the ECHL affiliate, ending the 29-year relationship with Wheeling.
But the switch did not become official until July 16, a week after ECHL teams were required to submit qualifying offers to eight players to retain their rights for the next season. Wheeling qualified D’Aigle, which created the unusual setup that was only resolved with this trade.
D’Aigle, 19, is one of the Penguins’ more intriguing young goaltending prospects, even if he is still very much a work in progress. At 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds, he brings size and athleticism to the position and spent much of his time with the Victoriaville Tigres in the QMJHL carrying a team that was described as undertalented. He was the second of Pittsburgh’s three third-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, sandwiched between Charlie Trethewey and Brady Peddle.
After signing his three-year entry-level contract on March 21, D’Aigle played in three regular-season games for the organization. He went 1-2 with a .925 save percentage and also appeared in one playoff game in relief of Taylor Gauthier.
Florida’s handling of the crease will be worth watching. Pittsburgh has used its ECHL affiliate as a development pipeline, but the Everblades have been built differently.
Florida, which had been affiliated with St. Louis, has operated more like a veteran club, with an average age of 27.9.
One week ago, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed ECHL goalie Cam Johnson to an AHL deal, with full expectations of keeping the 32-year-old netminder who has won four of the last five Kelly Cups with Florida.
Wheeling also still holds the rights to forward Tiernan Shoudy, a Michigan State forward whom the Penguins signed to an AHL contract on April 7. Shoudy played six regular-season games for Wheeling and had three points, then added one goal and three assists in 15 playoff games.
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Penguins May Have Quietly Saved A Goalie Prospect Fans Forgot About
The Penguins switch from the Wheeling Nailers to the Florida Everblades was always going to have ripple effects beyond the ECHL standings, and one of the quieter ones came in goal. Pittsburgh has spent the summer reshaping its minor-league setup, and in the process it made sure a young netminder with some long-term intrigue did not get lost in the shuffle.
Gabriel D'Aigle had been with Wheeling, but the affiliate change gave the Penguins a chance to pull him back into their own system and keep him in the pipeline. For a team that already has goaltending depth to work with, it is the kind of low-profile move that can matter later, especially with D'Aigle still viewed as a developing prospect rather than someone close to NHL duty. [Read more 🡒]
This Is Exactly The Defenseman Ducks Fans Have Been Waiting For
A recent podcast report has stirred the kind of early trade chatter that tends to follow a defenseman with a strong reputation and a little uncertainty around his current situation. Vladislav Gavrikov is still with the Rangers, but the discussion around him has centered on whether his fit in New York could become a bigger question if the teams direction slips, especially with the protection of a no-movement clause shaping any future move.
For the Penguins, the name is at least worth filing away. Pittsburgh was mentioned among the clubs that could make sense if Gavrikov ever became available, alongside Boston and Seattle, but nothing is close to happening right now. The bigger issue is whether the Rangers can quiet the noise before it turns into something more serious, because once a player with that kind of leverage starts weighing his options, the list of possible landing spots can tighten quickly. [Read more 🡒]