CORALVILLE, Iowa — If you like corn on the cob with a grilled pork chop, there’s a good chance some of your meal came from a farm in Iowa, and if you like the Minnesota Wild, there’s an increasing chance that the players you’re watching in green and red came from the farm in Iowa as well.
The Wild’s AHL team — the Iowa Wild — is based in Des Moines, and their ECHL affiliate, one step down the development ladder, will remain in the Iowa City area for the foreseeable future.
On Friday, the NHL club announced a three-year extension of their affiliation with the Iowa Heartlanders, who play their home games at Xtream Arena, a 5,000-seat facility just a short drive from the University of Iowa campus.
Under the affiliation agreement, the Heartlanders will continue to serve as a resource for the development efforts and personnel needs of both the Iowa Wild and Minnesota Wild. The agreement allows Wild prospects to be assigned to the Heartlanders for developmental purposes throughout the season.
It is an agreement which began in 2021 at the start of the Heartlanders’ inaugural season.
“We are very excited to extend our ECHL affiliation agreement with the Iowa Heartlanders,” Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement released by the team. “It is great for our organization to have the ability to develop players at both the AHL and ECHL level in Iowa.
“We look forward to continuing to help the Heartlanders and Iowa Wild grow hockey in the state.”
Over the previous three seasons, 32 members of the Heartlanders have been promoted to the Iowa Wild for higher level development. In all, 32 players with ECHL experience have played in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild since the franchise’s debut in 2001.
“We are thrilled to renew and continue our affiliation with the Minnesota Wild,” Heartlanders managing partner Michael Devlin said. “Over the past season, our ties with the Wild really strengthened, and their support has been essential to the growth of Heartlanders hockey in eastern Iowa. We look forward to building upon our strong partnership and developing top-tier talent for the Iowa Wild and Minnesota Wild. Both are truly first-class organizations, and we are excited for many successful seasons together.”
The Heartlanders finished 27-37 last season and did not qualify for the ECHL playoffs. Their average home attendance was just over 2,000 per game.
