Photo credit: Sarah Pietrowski | Inside The Rink
The Wheeling Nailers announced today that they have re-signed David Drake for the 2024-25 ECHL season. Drake joined the Nailers in the 2021-22 season after being acquired from the Reading Royals. The Naperville, IL native has 15 games of American Hockey League experience with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and 333 games in the ECHL. Drake will look to build on his career-highs of 18 assists, 20 points and a +18 goal differential during the 2023-24 regular season.
Drake’s junior career began in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Des Moines Buccaneers. In two seasons with Des Moines, Drake played 63 games, scoring one goal and five assists. He then transferred to the University of Connecticut, where he played four years and was named an alternate captain in his junior and senior seasons. In his NCAA career, Drake scored four goals and 25 points in 124 games for Connecticut. At the end of his senior season, he got a chance with the Phantoms in the AHL. At the start of his professional career, Drake played eight games, seven in the regular season and one in the playoffs. He got off to a good start, collecting two points.
Drake is big and uses it well. At 6’5″, Drake uses his length and long wingspan to keep players out and prevent easy penetration into the zone. He makes life difficult for offensive players when they get in front of the net. Drake makes it look effortless to clear them out of the way so the goalie can pursue the puck unhindered. He has grown in confidence with his point production over the past two seasons, posting double-digit point totals in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career.
