When the Nailers were eliminated from the Kelly Cup playoffs on Saturday with a 6-1 loss to the Florida Everblades in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final, Taylor Gauthier's mind was on the fans that he played in front of for the last four years.
"I hope that the people in Wheeling and the fans, they appreciate the effort I put in," Gauthier told me afterward. "I tried my very best every single night, and that's all I wanted to do was give them everything I had."
As Gauthier and his teammates spent some last moments together in the locker room, a sizable crowd of Nailers fans gathered behind WesBanco Arena. And when Gauthier emerged from the building around 12:30 a.m. -- nearly two hours after the game ended --the crowd broke into cheers.
It was a fitting scene to end the season.
When Gauthier arrived in Wheeling four years ago, he was hoping it would be a quick stop on his way to the next level. If this was his last game as a Nailer, he's leaving as the winningest goalie in franchise history and one of the most beloved players to ever wear the jersey, for reasons that extend far beyond his success on the ice.
If there was ever a time for Gauthier to move up to the AHL for good, next season would be it. With Stuart Skinner unlikely to return, Kyle Dubas has said that he anticipates a battle in training camp between Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist, presumably to split the net with Arturs Silovs. That leaves a void in the AHL tandem as one of the young goaltenders moves up, and Dubas volunteered in his season-ending media availability that they have confidence that Gauthier could be the other goalie in Wilkes-Barre.
It's been a long time coming.
Gauthier, 25, first came to the Penguins as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and he ended up splitting his rookie professional season between the AHL and ECHL after injuries at the AHL level created a significant opening.
Gauthier was a victim of the numbers from there. Blomqvist came over from Finland the following season in 2023-24, and the Penguins signed Magnus Hellberg to be his partner in the AHL, not wanting to partner Blomqvist with another young goalie. The 2024-25 season didn't alleviate the logjam, with Murashov now in the mix. Wilkes-Barre's net this season was shared almost entirely by Murashov and Blomqvist.
All the while, Gauthier was solid for Wheeling. Over parts of four seasons he set the franchise win record (71), shutout record (10) and a combined .923 save percentage. His resume includes an ECHL Goaltender of the Year award, and the starting goaltender for every game in Wheeling's longest run in the playoffs since 2016, posting a .930 save percentage, 2.01 goals-against average and three shutouts.
If this was Gauthier's last game in Wheeling, it's a bittersweet feeling.
"This city means so much to me," Gauthier told me after the loss. "I had an absolute blast being here every single day. The groups that I got to play with were great every year, and the relationships that I've built in the dressing room in the community here, it's something that you can't replicate, you know? I think this city is going to stick with me for a very long time, and it was just an honor to wear that Nailers jersey as long as I did."
ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS
Taylor Gauthier plays the puck.
I remember going to Wheeling early into Gauthier's time there and talking with him. And while it wouldn't be accurate to say that he was ever unhappy, he made it clear at the time that it was hard not being in the AHL and feeling so low on the depth chart.
Over time, he grew to love Wheeling, and love being a Nailer. While moving up in the ranks -- all the way up in the ranks -- remains the goal, he stopped waiting for that call to come and tried to focus on being present. He started having more fun, and he started playing better, too..
I asked Gauthier here what he would go back and say to that rookie pro version of himself that hadn't yet learned to love playing here.
"I think just embrace it, it's what you make it down here," he said. "I would just tell myself to have fun every single day, enjoy coming to the rink, and be happy being where you are. You know, it's a privilege to play professional hockey, and I know there's a lot of people and guys that I've played against growing up that would kill to be in the position I'm in right now. Even my buddies at home that played in junior, and they don't play anymore, they say, 'It'd be pretty cool to be in your position.' So just enjoy it, and don't worry about where you think you should be, just be where you are."
Gauthier has tried to share that philosophy with his teammates. When someone gets sent down from Wilkes-Barre to Wheeling for the first time and might not be thrilled about it, Gauthier is there to try to shift his mindset. It's not that having higher aspirations than the ECHL is a bad thing, but letting that sour your time in Wheeling doesn't help anyone.
For Ryan Papaioannou, who took over as head coach this season after Derek Army moved up to the AHL, having Gauthier in the room was invaluable. What Gauthier brought on the ice was clear to everyone, but behind the scenes, he was a huge part of creating a good culture.
"If the goalie could wear a 'C,' he would share it with (Matthew Quercia)," Papaioannou said. "He's interesting, because he's a guy on an NHL contract, and he cares as much as anybody about this place. I think that's probably why he's endeared himself to the fans. Yes, he's a good goalie, but I think it goes a little deeper than that. He's a great sounding board for us as first-year pro coaches, and he gave us the ability to connect to the rest of the team. He's our best player."
The effort Gauthier made to connect with fans while here is what makes him one of the most popular players to ever play here. The awards are great. The franchise records are awesome. But plenty of good players have come through Wheeling -- the Nailers lead the entire ECHL in alumni to reach the NHL. Not all of them see Wheeling as more than a quick stepping stone toward their larger goal.
"You build relationships," Gauthier said. "And not even with the people within the organization, but the fans in the stands. It kind of gives you that added motivation to go out there and find an extra gear on nights that you might not feel as good as you would like to, or you're battling through injuries. You look up in the stands and you see a fan that you have a connection with off the ice, and it gives you that little bit of juice to get you through that night."
ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS
Captain Matthew Quercia and Taylor Gauthier.
Gauthier struggled to condense his time here to a select few favorite memories, but two stood out to him. The first was the night he set the franchise win record with a win over the Rapid City Rush, but even that wasn't about the individual accolade. That was a shootout win, and the winning goal came from captain Quercia, who has been here just as long as Gauthier, playing in his 200th game. The other was the Nailers' Game 7 win over the Maine Mariners in the division finals this spring, completing a comeback after being down 3-2 in the series to punch their ticket to the conference finals.
Gauthier still needs a contract for next season, but all signs point toward him remaining in the Penguins organization. He's expressed an unwavering desire to stay, even if it somehow meant another season in Wheeling. Dubas has publicly spoke about Gauthier being a legitimate AHL option for next season, and reiterated that intention during a scouting trip to Wheeling earlier in the playoffs, when Nailers fans approached him in the stands to lobby for Gauthier's return.
"Hopefully I have an idea of where I'm going to be sooner rather than later," Gauthier said. "And then I'll make the push all summer to try and solidify myself as a full-time AHL goaltender, and then who knows where it goes from there? Just take it one day at a time, and, like I've said all year, just enjoy every day, and just embrace where you are."
THE ASYLUM
Gauthier leaves lasting legacy in Wheeling
When the Nailers were eliminated from the Kelly Cup playoffs on Saturday with a 6-1 loss to the Florida Everblades in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final, Taylor Gauthier's mind was on the fans that he played in front of for the last four years.
"I hope that the people in Wheeling and the fans, they appreciate the effort I put in," Gauthier told me afterward. "I tried my very best every single night, and that's all I wanted to do was give them everything I had."
As Gauthier and his teammates spent some last moments together in the locker room, a sizable crowd of Nailers fans gathered behind WesBanco Arena. And when Gauthier emerged from the building around 12:30 a.m. -- nearly two hours after the game ended --the crowd broke into cheers.
It was a fitting scene to end the season.
When Gauthier arrived in Wheeling four years ago, he was hoping it would be a quick stop on his way to the next level. If this was his last game as a Nailer, he's leaving as the winningest goalie in franchise history and one of the most beloved players to ever wear the jersey, for reasons that extend far beyond his success on the ice.
If there was ever a time for Gauthier to move up to the AHL for good, next season would be it. With Stuart Skinner unlikely to return, Kyle Dubas has said that he anticipates a battle in training camp between Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist, presumably to split the net with Arturs Silovs. That leaves a void in the AHL tandem as one of the young goaltenders moves up, and Dubas volunteered in his season-ending media availability that they have confidence that Gauthier could be the other goalie in Wilkes-Barre.
It's been a long time coming.
Gauthier, 25, first came to the Penguins as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and he ended up splitting his rookie professional season between the AHL and ECHL after injuries at the AHL level created a significant opening.
Gauthier was a victim of the numbers from there. Blomqvist came over from Finland the following season in 2023-24, and the Penguins signed Magnus Hellberg to be his partner in the AHL, not wanting to partner Blomqvist with another young goalie. The 2024-25 season didn't alleviate the logjam, with Murashov now in the mix. Wilkes-Barre's net this season was shared almost entirely by Murashov and Blomqvist.
All the while, Gauthier was solid for Wheeling. Over parts of four seasons he set the franchise win record (71), shutout record (10) and a combined .923 save percentage. His resume includes an ECHL Goaltender of the Year award, and the starting goaltender for every game in Wheeling's longest run in the playoffs since 2016, posting a .930 save percentage, 2.01 goals-against average and three shutouts.
If this was Gauthier's last game in Wheeling, it's a bittersweet feeling.
"This city means so much to me," Gauthier told me after the loss. "I had an absolute blast being here every single day. The groups that I got to play with were great every year, and the relationships that I've built in the dressing room in the community here, it's something that you can't replicate, you know? I think this city is going to stick with me for a very long time, and it was just an honor to wear that Nailers jersey as long as I did."
ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS
Taylor Gauthier plays the puck.
I remember going to Wheeling early into Gauthier's time there and talking with him. And while it wouldn't be accurate to say that he was ever unhappy, he made it clear at the time that it was hard not being in the AHL and feeling so low on the depth chart.
Over time, he grew to love Wheeling, and love being a Nailer. While moving up in the ranks -- all the way up in the ranks -- remains the goal, he stopped waiting for that call to come and tried to focus on being present. He started having more fun, and he started playing better, too..
I asked Gauthier here what he would go back and say to that rookie pro version of himself that hadn't yet learned to love playing here.
"I think just embrace it, it's what you make it down here," he said. "I would just tell myself to have fun every single day, enjoy coming to the rink, and be happy being where you are. You know, it's a privilege to play professional hockey, and I know there's a lot of people and guys that I've played against growing up that would kill to be in the position I'm in right now. Even my buddies at home that played in junior, and they don't play anymore, they say, 'It'd be pretty cool to be in your position.' So just enjoy it, and don't worry about where you think you should be, just be where you are."
Gauthier has tried to share that philosophy with his teammates. When someone gets sent down from Wilkes-Barre to Wheeling for the first time and might not be thrilled about it, Gauthier is there to try to shift his mindset. It's not that having higher aspirations than the ECHL is a bad thing, but letting that sour your time in Wheeling doesn't help anyone.
For Ryan Papaioannou, who took over as head coach this season after Derek Army moved up to the AHL, having Gauthier in the room was invaluable. What Gauthier brought on the ice was clear to everyone, but behind the scenes, he was a huge part of creating a good culture.
"If the goalie could wear a 'C,' he would share it with (Matthew Quercia)," Papaioannou said. "He's interesting, because he's a guy on an NHL contract, and he cares as much as anybody about this place. I think that's probably why he's endeared himself to the fans. Yes, he's a good goalie, but I think it goes a little deeper than that. He's a great sounding board for us as first-year pro coaches, and he gave us the ability to connect to the rest of the team. He's our best player."
The effort Gauthier made to connect with fans while here is what makes him one of the most popular players to ever play here. The awards are great. The franchise records are awesome. But plenty of good players have come through Wheeling -- the Nailers lead the entire ECHL in alumni to reach the NHL. Not all of them see Wheeling as more than a quick stepping stone toward their larger goal.
"You build relationships," Gauthier said. "And not even with the people within the organization, but the fans in the stands. It kind of gives you that added motivation to go out there and find an extra gear on nights that you might not feel as good as you would like to, or you're battling through injuries. You look up in the stands and you see a fan that you have a connection with off the ice, and it gives you that little bit of juice to get you through that night."
ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS
Captain Matthew Quercia and Taylor Gauthier.
Gauthier struggled to condense his time here to a select few favorite memories, but two stood out to him. The first was the night he set the franchise win record with a win over the Rapid City Rush, but even that wasn't about the individual accolade. That was a shootout win, and the winning goal came from captain Quercia, who has been here just as long as Gauthier, playing in his 200th game. The other was the Nailers' Game 7 win over the Maine Mariners in the division finals this spring, completing a comeback after being down 3-2 in the series to punch their ticket to the conference finals.
Gauthier still needs a contract for next season, but all signs point toward him remaining in the Penguins organization. He's expressed an unwavering desire to stay, even if it somehow meant another season in Wheeling. Dubas has publicly spoke about Gauthier being a legitimate AHL option for next season, and reiterated that intention during a scouting trip to Wheeling earlier in the playoffs, when Nailers fans approached him in the stands to lobby for Gauthier's return.
"Hopefully I have an idea of where I'm going to be sooner rather than later," Gauthier said. "And then I'll make the push all summer to try and solidify myself as a full-time AHL goaltender, and then who knows where it goes from there? Just take it one day at a time, and, like I've said all year, just enjoy every day, and just embrace where you are."
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