WORCESTER—The Sharks are the city’s hockey team in the middle.
They are the ham-and-cheese between the IceCats, who brought pro hockey here, and today’s Railers. However, in their nine seasons at the DCU Center, from 2006-07 through 2014-15, the Sharks provided fans with memorable players, coaches, games and moments.
They will be recognized for that this winter as the Railers begin their eighth ECHL season on the same ice surface that has been home to professional hockey here since 1994. The initial “Worcester Sharks Night” is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. The Wheeling Nailers provide the opposition.
“There has been a growing call from our fan base to commemorate the Sharks’ time here in Worcester,” Railers COO Mike Myers said in a news release. Myers’ career as a hockey executive began with the Sharks.
“We felt that being 10 years removed from their departure that it’s time to celebrate the impact the Sharks had on hockey in Central Massachusetts and their contributions to pro hockey,” Myers added.
The Sharks were coached by Roy Sommer for all nine their nine seasons and he went on to be elected to the American Hockey League Hall of Fame. During their first season in the city the Sharks employed future NHL Hall of Famer Joe Pavelski and current New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche as well as rookie goaltender Thomas Greiss, who played 368 games in the National Hockey League.
Not only did Myers work in the Sharks front office — current Worcester State athletic director Mike Mudd was a Sharks executive and the late Eric Lindquist was hired as an announcer by the Sharks and eventually became one of the city’s most recognizable sports figures.
“If you look at how hockey has grown in this area through the years,” Myers said, “I think the Sharks had a lot do with that. Today’s young fans, the people we are hiring to start their careers in hockey, they know about the IceCats. They’ve heard about the IceCats, but the Sharks are their nostalgia.”
The Railers have seven months to work on the details of Sharks Night. The event will include a special jersey and appearances from former players, coaches and executives.
In general, the team has had a busy off-season.
It is excited about Darche’s hiring. Management hopes to be able to talk with him at greater length in the coming weeks. One of the first things Darche did was fire the coaching staff at Bridgeport, Worcester’s AHL partner. The AHL Islanders have named a new coach, Rocky Thompson, but not any of his assistants.
Railers coach Nick Tuzzolino was in the mix but is staying in Worcester. He needs an assistant, too. The Railers have not filled that opening yet.
Bridgeport general manager Chris Lamoriello had his contract renewed by his father, Lou Lamoriello, before being replaced by Darche. There have also been online reports that the Bridgeport team may move to Hamilton, Ontario after this season.
The Railers-Islanders affiliation agreement runs through the end of this season.
Worcester has filed a protected player list for 2025-26 and has traded Pito Walton and Griffin Loughran for future considerations. Some of what is happening during the off-season is tentative as the ECHL works on a new collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Hockey Players Assn.
The Railers were awarded the 2024-25 ECHL Rising Star Award at the 2025 summer meetings in Orlando. This is the organization’s first time receiving the recognition. This award is given to the team that shows the most year-over-year growth in total revenue, including corporate and ticket sales, food and beverage, merchandise and attendance.
“Winning the ECHL Rising Star Award is an incredible honor and a true testament to the dedication, heart, and hustle of our entire team,” team president Kim Golinski said. “The Railers experienced growth across a number of departments during the 2024-25 season, resulting in a record breaking year.’
The milestones included the best average attendance since the 2019-20 season; 180 percent season ticket increase; nine closed curtain sellouts; 120 percent game day merchandise increase and most merchandise revenue all-time.
Also, 38,645 group tickets sold, the highest ticket sales revenue in franchise history and the second highest corporate revenue in the ECHL.
It is impossible to know if the Railers would be entering their eighth season if the Sharks had not arrived to fill the physical and emotional void left by the IceCats departure. No doubt, however, the city’s hockey landscape would look much different.
The Sharks history is beginning to come full circle. Sommer’s son Castan is an associate coach at Holy Cross. Former Sharks captain Jay Leach was considered for the Boston Bruins head coach job as was one of Roy Sommer’s assistants, Ryan Mougenel.
Crazed Rat John McCarthy is coaching the San Jose Barracuda. Linemate Andrew Desjardins won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks. Jimmy Bonneau is a pro scout for San Jose and Riley Armstrong works for the Flyers.
“The Sharks have been in the IceCats shadow,” Myers said. “They are the in-between team.”
Worcester’s hockey fans will have their memories refreshed not long after the New Year begins.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
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