Iowa Wild
The Iowa Wild are an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 2013. The team plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play their home games in Des Moines, Iowa at the Wells Fargo Arena. They are the AHL affiliate for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (AHL). Their ECHL affiliate is the Iowa Heartlanders.
| Iowa Wild | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Des Moines, Iowa |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1994 (In the IHL) |
| Home arena | Wells Fargo Arena |
| Colours | Forest green, Iron Range red, harvest gold, Minnesota wheat, white |
| General manager | Michael Murray |
| Head coach | Brett McLean |
| Affiliate(s) | Minnesota Wild (NHL) Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) |
Website Official website | |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–2013 | Houston Aeros |
| Iowa Wild | |
The team originally played in Houston, Texas as the Houston Aeros from 1994 to 2013. During that time, they were very successful and locally popular. They would win the Calder Cup in the 2002–03 season. Aeros owner Chuck Watson and Houston Rockets owner Les Alexander would start to have disagreements over the shared Toyota Center and control over it. The Aeros would pay rent to Alexander to stay in the arena. After the deal between the Aeros and Alexander ended, he decided to jack up the price and the Aeros ended up paying one of the highest prices in the AHL. After Alexander demanded that the Aeros pay 550% more, majority owners Minnesota Sports and Entertainment announced that they were moving the team to Des Moines, Iowa to become the Iowa Wild.[1]
On October 12, 2013, the team would play their first game as the Iowa Wild. They would defeat the Oklahoma City Barons 1–0.[2] On February 22, 2018, a five-year contract extension was signed by the Iowa Wild to remain as the AHL affiliates for the Minnesota Wild.[3]
References
- ↑ "It's official: Aeros hockey team leaving Houston at end of season". ABC13. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "10,213 See Iowa Wild Shutout Barons 1-0". American Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Five Years In: Just Getting Started". American Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
