The Wild and Buccaneers return to the rinks

9/30/2026

The Iowa Wild hockey team has reached 27 wins in three straight seasons now, finishing last year with a record of 27-36-6-3. Last season, the Wild hired a new head coach in Greg Cronin. Cronin’s stint in Iowa was short-lived, now having left to be an assistant for the St. Louis Blues in the NHL. With a vacant spot open, the Wild hired Stu Bickel to replace him. 

The hiring of Bickel means the Wild are on their third head coach in three years. Each of the previous two coaches have seen stretches of both good and bad hockey but hasn’t been able to stick in Iowa. For the players’ and fans’ sake, they hope Bickel, a younger coach at just 39 years old, can call Iowa home for more than a season or two. 

Bickel had a lengthy playing career, lasting a decade before transitioning into coaching. He spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach in the AHL and four seasons with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In all five of those seasons, his teams made the Calder Cup Playoffs, something the Wild hasn’t done since 2023. 

We asked him what he was able to take from his playing days into his coaching career. 

“I think there are certain aspects of coaching you learn when you get into coaching, being on the other side of the door and being a part of the conversation. I’ve learned a ton. I think, as a player, you don’t see all that work behind the scenes, so you definitely develop a new respect for that,” Bickel said. “But I also think that there are a lot of things that you can take away from your experience as a player, and there are a lot of positive and negative outcomes. I think that’s super valuable to be able to have those things that you can talk about and things that you’ve learned from that you can share with your players and help them along in their journey.”

During his playing days, Bickel spent some time with the Iowa Wild in 2014-2015. His professional playing career started with the Iowa Chops in 2008, so Bickel has spent time in Iowa before. 

“I had a great experience in Iowa. It’s a great community, a great spot to raise a family. I’m familiar with the community, the fan base. We saw that as a huge positive for us for the opportunity. It was a really exciting opportunity because I know the people. I know they’re great people, and I know they want to win. I just saw that all as an overall positive for us,” Bickel said.

 

Developing a winner

Winning will be on the mind of the coaching staff and players alike with hopes to turn the team’s performances around. One of the players Bickel is likely to lean on is center Gerry Mayhew. 

Mayhew has logged plenty of minutes in Wild gear and added many good performances in doing so. In January of last year, Mayhew broke the Iowa Wild’s all-time points record. His 200th point with the team put him atop the Iowa Wild’s record books. 

“I never really knew that I was that close to it, and I honestly never thought I’d come back to Iowa. And when I had the chance last year, it was awesome,” Mayhew said. “I started to hear rumblings about it, and you know there’s some really good names up at the top of that list who I’ve also played with for years, so it was a special moment for me, and I’m lucky to be back again. So maybe I can put that out of reach for some guys.”

AHL teams, in general, experience lots of roster turnover, whether it be players changing teams for a new opportunity or players moving up and down the Wild organization. Mayhew spending so much time in Iowa has been a benefit for the fans, and seeing him back on the ice in Des Moines for another year will be a welcome sight.

At the time of our interview, Mayhew had recently spoken with his new head coach for the season and shared his thoughts on their conversation.

“We had a great talk, just got the lay of the land, asking questions back and forth. He seems like a great guy. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. He seems up-tempo, which is awesome. He was just a great guy to talk to. He listens. I think that’s an important thing to have. It is that back-and-forth communication with players and coaches to see what’s going right, what’s not going right,” Mayhew said.

Managing a team that goes through so many changes on a year-by-year and week-by-week basis is one of the skates that Bickel will have to balance on as a first-time head coach. 

“That’s the process that I’m very used to being around, having been in the American League as a player for 10 years, and then the last five as a coach. I think it’s super important that, as a staff, we’re very clear that we have packages together to be able to get players up to speed quickly with how we do things. Certainly, we are going to have members of our leadership group who are going to be going up and down. It’s surprising sometimes, in a great way, when you see young players that start to harness a leadership role in their own right. Those are traits that we’ll be looking to develop in all of our players,” Bickel said.

For a player’s perspective on the same issue, we asked Mayhew what it’s like for the players who can see their friends, and sometimes best teammates, being regularly shuffled around.

“I just try to look at it like it’s a business, right? Guys are going to go up. Guys are going to come down. For me, regardless of whether I was up or down, I try to keep the same attitude, play the same way. Every team goes through that. You just have to adapt, and you can’t really make an excuse for it,” Mayhew said.

Both of them will have a main focus on turning the Wild back into a winning program. Bickel likes to be up-tempo as he and Mayhew stated, but he still needs to balance his style with how Minnesota wants to play so his players are ready for the NHL once they make the jump.

“We’re going to be largely mirroring the systems of Minnesota, but we are looking at building a culture and building a winning expectation. That’s going to be something that we talk a lot about with our group early on. I think it’s important that you get your leaders on your team involved in the conversations early,” Bickel said.

He wants to develop a winning team, and part of developing good players is developing guys who want to win.

Mayhew spoke about the development of the rookies from last season and how another year of hockey under their belts should bode well for the Wild’s win column.

“The rookies last year have had a year now, so in their second year, hopefully, their confidence is higher and they’ve adapted to the league. My expectations? I want to be top of the league, top of the division for sure. Playoff hockey is awesome. It’s fun, and not to make it is a bummer. Last year we made a good push at the end, but it was just too little, too late, and I want to get back into playoff hockey,” Mayhew said.

 

Promoting the Iowa Wild

Another major part of what it takes to run a successful hockey team is how the organization makes the fan experience worthwhile. For that perspective, we interviewed the vice president of business operations, Allie Brown Korinek. 

Korinek was part of the staff in 2013 and helped market Bickel when he joined the team as a player in 2014. Now, Korinek is further up in the front office, and Bickel is leading the Wild on the other side of the door. 

“I’m excited to work with him. I’ve talked to him a couple of times, and he’s really excited, pumped up to be here again. He has a family of his own that he’s moved into the area, and I’m excited to see him in a different capacity as our coach. From what he said, he loved his time in Iowa and in Des Moines,” Korinek said.

She deals with some of the same challenges that Bickel does with the rotating roster. Sure, she may be able to promote Mayhew and his excellent goal-scoring ability for most of the year, but the roster is continually changing, and she needs to let fans know who is here.

“From the marketing standpoint, it is important to tell that story of ‘Hey, you get to see NHL players before they get to the NHL,’ because the majority of them will go up to play in Minnesota or other teams around the NHL. That’s a big push of ours. Come see them for less here, and see them before they make that complete switch,” Korinek said. “The other thing is we focus a lot on the energy and the value in creating a big experience, not just around the sport of hockey and watching hockey, but also how can we just be a fun event for you to take your family to or your friends to.”

The Wild’s front office has made a habit of winning awards from the AHL. In recent years, they have received recognition for their marketing. This offseason, the Wild won the Community Relations Excellence (Western Conference) Award. During last season, through their promotions, the Wild raised $263,684 for local organizations, schools and nonprofits.

“It makes us proud to be able to make an impact. It’s exciting to be recognized by the league and to be that team that’s showcased throughout the league. What the Wild are doing in the community is really meaningful, and I think it’s just it’s really neat to continue to grow that. We’ll look to do that for years and years to come,” Korinek said.

The Wild will be doing similar promotions for local organizations this year. Some of the organizations they will be helping are the ALS Association, Boy Scouts of America, the John Stoddard Cancer Center and their regular reading program partnership with Des Moines Public Schools. Plus, they have partnerships with Blank Children’s Hospital, the Gabe Fleming Memorial Hockey Scholarship Fund, the Des Moines Youth Hockey Association and more. 

In addition to helping those communities, the Wild have theme nights throughout the season ranging from Hoptoberfest to Wizards Night, Local Heroes Night, Veterans Appreciation Night and more. 

Iowa Wild home games:

• Oct. 9 vs. Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks) at 7 p.m. | Opening Night
• Oct. 10 vs. Rockford IceHogs at 6 p.m. | Kids Opening Night
• Oct. 21 vs. Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators) at 7 p.m. | Wild Wednesday
• Oct. 23 vs. Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets) at 7 p.m. | Hoptoberfest
• Oct. 24 vs. Manitoba Moose at 6 p.m. | Book Club Night
• Oct. 30 vs. Charlotte Checkers (Florida Panthers) at 7 p.m. | Wizard Night
• Nov. 1 vs. Charlotte Checkers at 3 p.m. | Hockeyween
• Nov. 5 vs. Rockford IceHogs at 10:30 a.m. | School Day Game
• Nov. 13 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) at 7 p.m. | Local Heroes Night
• Nov. 14 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins at 6 p.m. | Veterans Appreciation Night
• Dec. 1 vs. Chicago Wolves (Carolina Hurricanes) at 7 p.m. | TWOSday
• Dec. 5 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins at 6 p.m. | Teddy Bear Toss
• Dec. 6 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins at 3 p.m.
• Dec. 9 vs. Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m. | Wild Wednesday
• Dec. 18 vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers) at 7 p.m. | Winter Wonderland
• Dec. 19 vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 6 p.m. | Peanuts Night
• Dec. 29 vs. Texas Stars (Dallas Stars) at 6 p.m. | $2 Beer Night
• Dec. 31 vs. Texas Stars at 6 p.m. | New Year’s Eve Bash
• Jan. 4 vs. Chicago Wolves at 7 p.m.
• Jan. 13 vs. Chicago Wolves at 7 p.m. | Wild Wednesday
• Jan. 15 vs. Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m.
• Jan. 16 vs. Rockford IceHogs at 6 p.m. | Country Night
• Jan. 29 vs. Henderson Silver Knights (Vegas Golden Knights) at 7 p.m. | Military Appreciation Night
• Jan. 30 vs. Henderson Silver Knights at 6 p.m.
• Feb. 12 vs. Tucson Roadrunners (Utah Mammoth) at 7 p.m.
• Feb. 13 vs. Tucson Roadrunners at 6 p.m. | Pink in the Rink
• Feb. 24 vs. San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) at 7 p.m. | Women in Sports Night
• Feb. 26 vs. San Diego Gulls at 7 p.m. | Neon Night
• March 7 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins at 3 p.m. | Crash’s Birthday
• March 12 vs. Manitoba Moose at 7 p.m.
• March 13 vs. Manitoba Moose at 6 p.m. | Racing Night
• March 24 vs. Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m. | Wild Wednesday
• April 2 vs. Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m.
• April 7 vs. Chicago Wolves at 7 p.m. | Wild Wednesday
• April 9 vs. Texas Stars at 7 p.m. | Fan Appreciation Weekend
• April 10 vs. Texas Stars at 6 p.m. |FanAppreciationWeekend

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Des Moines Buccaneers 

The Des Moines Buccaneers have an everlasting fanbase. The Bucs play in the United States Hockey League, the top junior ice hockey league in the country. Last year, the team made it into the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Western Conference with a 27-27-3 record and 62 points. 

This was the first time the Bucs had made it into the Clark Cup Playoffs since the 2022-2023 season. The team would fall in the first round to the Lincoln Stars, but a return to the postseason was a welcome change. 

This offseason, the Bucs have made several changes with one of them being the addition of a Hockey Analytics Department. Their plan is to utilize data and technology to make better-informed hockey decisions on and off the ice. The Bucs say it will be led by Addison DeBoer, whose role is expanding into general manager and vice president of hockey analytics. Joining DeBoer will be Drake University graduate Jeff Raymond, who will be the office manager and data analyst. 

The Bucs also had several additions to their front office this offseason. The team hired David Driscoll as senior advisor, player development and sports performance. Connor Gagnon was also hired as assistant general manager, and Emily Reynolds was brough on as a skating coach. 

With these new additions to the team, the Bucs are aiming to return to their once-consistent dominance. With eight total titles to their names, missing the playoffs for several years is something they hope to avoid going forward.

For fans coming to watch the junior hockey players at the MidAmerican Energy RecPlex, the team put together a new season of promotions. This year will include opening day celebrations, Pink in the Rink, College Rivalry Night, 80s Night, Faith and Family Night, Zoo Night and more. ♦

Des Moines Buccaneers home games:

• Oct. 2 vs. Omaha Lancers at 7:05 p.m. | Home Opener 
• Oct. 3 vs. Tri-City Storm at 6:05 p.m. | Kids Opening Day — hat and mitten toss
• Oct. 10 vs. Lincoln Stars at 6:05 p.m. | Pink in the Rink, post-game jersey auction 
• Oct. 16 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks at 7:05 p.m. | College Rivalry Night
• Oct. 30 vs. Youngstown Phantoms at 7:05 p.m.
• Oct. 31 vs. Youngstown Phantoms at 6:05 p.m. | Mutt Strut
• Nov. 13 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints at 7:05 p.m. | Veterans Appreciation and Scouts Night
• Nov. 20 vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks at 7:05 p.m. | Red Out
• Nov. 21 vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks at 6:35 p.m. | 80s Night
• Nov. 27 vs. Chicago Steel at 7:05 p.m.
• Nov. 28 vs. Chicago Steel at 6:35 p.m. | Faith and Family Night, Teddy Bear Toss
• Dec. 4 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at 7:05 p.m. | Youth Sports Night — Bucs pennant giveaway
• Dec. 15 vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at 7:05 p.m. | Silent Night, Ugly Sweater Out
• Jan. 2 vs. Omaha Lancers at 6:35 p.m. | Farmers Appreciation, post-game jersey auction, post-game skate
• Jan. 8 vs. Madison Capitols at 7:05 p.m. | Margaritaville Night
• Jan. 9 vs. Madison Capitols at 6:35 p.m. | Zoo Night
• Jan. 15 vs. Sioux Falls Stampede at 7:05 p.m. | Bingo Night
• Jan. 17 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks at 3:05 p.m. | Frosty Cup; Sensory-Friendly Game and Autism Awareness Night
• Jan. 21 vs. Tri-City Storm at 7:05 p.m.
• Feb. 12 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks at 7:05 p.m. | Women in Sports Night
• Feb. 13 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints at 6:35 p.m. | Lunch bag giveaway, post-game skate
• Feb. 19 vs. Fargo Force at 7:05 p.m. | Des Moines Youth Hockey Association Night
• Feb. 20 vs. Fargo Force at 6:35 p.m. | Guns N’ Hoses; Family and Billet Appreciation Night
• Feb. 27 vs. Sioux City Musketeers at 7:05 p.m. | Country Night 
• March 2 vs. Lincoln Stars at 11:05 a.m. | School Day Game
• March 5 vs. Waterloo Black Hawks at 7:05 p.m. | Dupaco Night — Dupaco giveaway
• March 6 vs. Sioux City Musketeers at 7:05 p.m. | Barkaneers, post-game jersey auction
• March 10 vs. Muskegon Lumberjacks at 6:35 p.m. | Winger’s Birthday
• March 27 vs. Omaha Lancers at 6:05 p.m. | Hard Hat Appreciation Night — post-game jersey auction
• April 2 vs. Sioux Falls Stampede at 7:05 p.m. | Fan Appreciation Night