Iowa Wild

Last updated

Iowa Wild
Iowa Wild logo.svg
City Des Moines, Iowa
League American Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionCentral
Founded1994 (IHL)
Operated 2013–present
Home arena Casey's Center
ColorsForest green, Iron Range red, harvest gold, Minnesota wheat, white
     
Owner(s) Minnesota Sports and Entertainment
General manager Matt Hendricks [1]
Head coach Greg Cronin
Captain Cameron Crotty
Media Fanduel Sports Network North
KXNO
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL)
Franchise history
1994–2013 Houston Aeros
2013–presentIowa Wild
Hockey current event.svg Current season

The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild play their home games at Casey's Center.

Contents

The team was formerly the Houston Aeros, in Houston, Texas, before being relocated to Des Moines, beginning with the 2013–14 AHL season as the Iowa Wild. [2] [3] The Wild is the second AHL team based in Des Moines following the Iowa Stars, which had been the Dallas Stars' AHL affiliate from 2005 until 2008 (in the team's final season (2008–09), they were known as the Iowa Chops and were affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks).

The affiliation between the two Wild franchises is the first of two between Twin Cities area franchises and Iowa minor league franchises, as the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association and the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League also share an affiliation.

History

The Iowa Wild franchise began as the Houston Aeros, a 1994 expansion team in the International Hockey League (IHL) that played out of the Compaq Center. The Aeros were one of six IHL teams to join the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2001 when the IHL folded. Upon joining the AHL, the Aeros affiliated with the National Hockey League's one-year-old expansion team, the Minnesota Wild. The AHL version of the Aeros won the 2003 Calder Cup and also reached the 2011 Calder Cup finals, but lost to the Binghamton Senators. In 2003, the majority ownership of the franchise was sold to Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group of the Wild, while former owner Chuck Watson retained a 10% minority share along with Houston native Nick Sheppard holding a 4% share. The team then moved home games to the new Toyota Center. [4]

On April 18, 2013, the Minnesota Wild announced that Minnesota Sports and Entertainment were unable to reach a lease agreement with the Toyota Center, and the Aeros would be relocated to Des Moines, Iowa, beginning with the 2013–14 season with home games at Wells Fargo Arena. [5] The Iowa Wild inaugural season was opened on October 12 with a 1–0 win over the Oklahoma City Barons. The opening night attendance was 10,200. [6] The team failed to make the playoffs for its first five seasons.

The Wild playing against the Milwaukee Admirals in 2024 Iowa Wild vs. Milwaukee Admirals March 2024 20 (face-off).jpg
The Wild playing against the Milwaukee Admirals in 2024

On February 22, 2018, the Minnesota Wild extended their contract through 2023. [7] In 2019, the team reached the playoffs for the first time since relocating from Houston, reaching the division finals and losing to the Chicago Wolves in six games. The following 2019–20 season was then curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with the Wild holding second place in the division and no playoffs were held. The 2020–21 season was then delayed due to the pandemic, with a shortened season held and no Calder Cup playoffs.

Season-by-season results

Regular seasonPlayoffsAverage
attendance [8]
SeasonGamesWonLostOTLSOLPointsPCTGoals
for		Goals
against		StandingYearPrelims1st
round		2nd
round		3rd
round		Finals
2013–14 7627367667.4411692355th, Midwest 2014 Did not qualify5,883
2014–15 7623492250.3291722455th, Midwest 2015 Did not qualify5,659
2015–16 7624415659.3881692258th, Central 2016 Did not qualify5,846
2016–17 7636317281.5331821966th, Central 2017 Did not qualify6,019
2017–18 76332710682.5392322465th, Central 2018 Did not qualify6,153
2018–19 7637268587.5722422303rd, Central 2019 —W, 3–2, MIL L, 2–4, CHI ——6,409
2019–20 6337184482.6511941712nd, Central2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 6,351
2020–21 3417134038.5591071134th, Central2021No playoffs were held3,273 [9]
2021–22 7232314573.5072022096th, Central 2022 Did not qualify5,435
2022–23 7234276579.5492112114th, Central 2023 L, 0–2 RFD ————6,296
2023–24 7227374462.4311842456th, Central 2024 Did not qualify6,401
2024–25 7227376262.4312012516th, Central 2025 Did not qualify6,237

Players

Current roster

Updated July 29, 2025. [10]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G AgeAcquiredBirthplaceContract
– Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Elliot Desnoyers LW L23 2025 Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec Iowa
– Flag of the United States.svg Mike Koster D L24 2025 Chaska, Minnesota Iowa
– Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mark Liwiski C L24 2025 Dauphin, Manitoba Iowa
– Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ryan McGuire C R23 2025 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec Iowa
– Flag of the United States.svg Wyatt Newpower D R27 2025 Hugo, Minnesota Iowa
34 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg William Rousseau G L22 2025 Trois-Rivières, Quebec Iowa
13 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Sandelin RW R26 2024 Hermantown, Minnesota Iowa
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Matthew Sop LW L22 2024 Kitchener, Ontario Iowa
4 Flag of the United States.svg Will Zmolek D R26 2024 Rochester, Minnesota Iowa

Team captains

Franchise records and leaders

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers for the Iowa Wild in the AHL. Figures are updated after each completed season. [11]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;   = current Iowa player

Points
PlayerPosGPGAPtsP/G
Kyle Rau C24488111199.81
Sam Anas C25972125197.76
Gerald Mayhew RW2289781178.78
Zack Mitchell RW2506666132.53
Cal O'Reilly C14231100131.92
Mason Shaw C1974378121.61
Brennan Menell D19915101116.58
Adam Beckman LW1815751108.60
Marco Rossi C1163470104.90
Colton Beck LW3194163104.33

References

  1. ↑ "Hendricks named new GM of Iowa Wild". theahl. May 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Wild AHL Affiliate Moving To Iowa". Minnesota Wild. April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ Birch, Tommy; Leistikow, Chad (April 18, 2013). "Is Des Moines ready to try pro hockey again?". Des Moines Register . Retrieved April 18, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Relocation Likely if Aeros Can't Get A New Lease Deal at Toyota Center". Houston Chronicle. January 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ "It's official: Aeros hockey team leaving Houston at end of season". ABC13. April 19, 2013.
  6. ↑ As former sole owner of the team, Chuck Watson owns the rights to the Aeros name, prompting the name change. "Wild statement on AHL affiliate". Houston Aeros. April 18, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  7. ↑ Wild, Iowa. "FIVE YEARS IN: JUST GETTING STARTED | Iowa Wild". www.iowawild.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Iowa Wild yearly attendance". HockeyDB. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ Reduced capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  10. ↑ "Iowa Wild Roster". American Hockey League . Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Iowa Wild - All Time AHL leaders". hockeydb.com. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
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