Kuqali returns to Nailers

WHEELING, W.Va. - The Wheeling Nailers announce the team has re-signed defenseman Alexander Kuqali to a contract for the 2026-27 season.

Kuqali, 35, joined the Nailers in February of this past season, and made an immediate impact both on the ice and in the locker room. He appeared in 23 regular-season games and produced four points (1g-3a). He also suited up in 16 of the club's 17 contests during the Kelly Cup Playoffs and dished out two assists. The Nailers are Kuqali's fifth ECHL team, as he has also played for Florida, Quad City, Orlando and Fort Wayne. He also spent three seasons with the Elite Ic Hockey League's Coventry Blaze. Between the ECHL and the EIHL, Kuqali has amassed 122 points (27g-95a) in 453 professional games.

Prior to turning pro, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native played four years of college hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology from 2012-16. The Tigers won two Atlantic Hockey Tournament championships during his time there, and Kuqali was named to the All-Tournament Team during his senior season when he served as the team's captain. One year earlier, RIT earned one of its three victories all-time at the NCAA National Tournament, 2-1 over Minnesota State. Kuqali scored the opening goal of that contest.

Alexander is the second member of his family to play for the Nailers. His older brother Nicholas played in 25 games for Wheeling during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. The Kuqali brothers are both coaches in the Pittsburgh Predators Hockey Club, which is a youth hockey organization that plays out of Ice Castle Arena.