Nailers agree to terms with Birks, Foley

WHEELING, W.Va. - The Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced the team has signed defensemen Dane Birks and Matt Foley to contracts for the 2020-21 season.Birks, 25, will begin his third professional season and second in Wheeling, as he played for the Nailers during his rookie season of 2018-19. He accumulated 14 points (1g-13a) in 65 games with Wheeling. Last season, the Merritt, British Columbia native recorded 10 points (3g-7a) in 52 games with the Rapid City Rush. Prior to turning pro, Birks played three seasons of college hockey at Michigan Tech, where he tallied 30 points in 117 games and posted a +27 rating.

Foley, 25, is set to make his professional debut after attending Yale University for four years. He collected 18 points (2g-16a) in 88 games with the Bulldogs, with his best offensive season coming as a freshman, when he finished tied for third among his team's defensemen with eight points. The Longmeadow, Massachusetts native also played two seasons of junior hockey, as he notched ten points in 38 games with the British Columbia Hockey League's Merritt Centennials, then registered eight points in 45 games with the United States Hockey League's Bloomington Thunder.