Beaulieu joins Nailers

WHEELING, W.Va. - The Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced the team has signed defenseman Phil Beaulieu to a contract for the 2023-24 season.

Beaulieu's rights were acquired by the Nailers in June to complete a future considerations trade with the Worcester Railers. He will be entering his fourth professional season, after spending the majority of his first three years in the ECHL with Worcester and the Allen Americans. One of the blueliner's biggest strengths is his offensive game, and in 2021-22, he led Allen in scoring by defensemen with 38 points (8g-30a) in 61 games. Over the course of his ECHL career, Beaulieu has amassed 78 points (13g-65a) in 141 games while also appearing in one American Hockey League contest with the Iowa Wild as a rookie in 2020-21.

Prior to turning pro, the Duluth, Minnesota native attended Northern Michigan University for four years. He was a Second-Team All-American and All-WCHA Second Team member as a sophomore, WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-WCHA as a junior and a nominee for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award during his senior year, when he was the team's captain. Beaulieu was Northern Michigan's top defensive scorer in three of his four seasons, as he finished with 121 points (26g-95a) in 158 games.