Penguins goaltending prospect Gabriel D’Aigle signs tryout contract with Nailers

Seth Rorabaugh TribLive Tue, Apr 7, 2026 • 05:18 PM

Penguins goaltender Gabriel D’Aigle defend his net during a development camp practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, July 7, 2025. (Chaz Palla | TribLive)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending prospect Gabriel D’Aigle signed a professional tryout contract (PTO) with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers for the remainder of the 2025-26 season on Tuesday.

He is scheduled to make his professional debut, also on Tuesday, in a home contest against the Cincinnati Cyclones at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va.

D’Aigle, 19, was the Penguins’ third-round selection (No. 84 overall) in last year’s NHL Draft. He recently signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins on March 21. That pact is scheduled to begin with the 2026-27 season.

This season at the junior level with the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the left-catching D’Aigle (6-foot-4, 213 pounds) appeared in 39 games and posted a 14-21-3 record, a 3.58 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

D’Aigle’s season with Victoriaville came to an end April 1 as his team was swept in the opening round, a best-of-seven series, 4-0, by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Appearing in all four games of that series, D’Aigle had a 4.74 goals-against average and an .863 save percentage.