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Feature Story

Fast. Relentless. Disciplined.

10/2/2024

Carson Lambos was a first-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2021. Last season, for the Iowa Wild, he had four goals and 10 assists in 69 games. Photo by Tim Garland courtesy of the Iowa Wild

IOWA WILD

Last season

The Iowa Wild ended last season with a 27-37 record and 62 points, second to last in the Central Division, and missed out on the playoffs. This was the first season under head coach Brett McLean, who took over for longtime Wild coach Tim Army. The 62-point season and missed playoff berth is a setback from the season before when the Wild had 76 points and earned a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs before bowing out in the first round. 

The Wild showed how good they could be in the back half of the season. After the trade deadline in early March, the Wild went over .500.

“The guys really dug in and stuck to it and really trusted what we were saying, and we played our best hockey at the end of the season,” McLean said. 

Even though the wins weren’t there for the Wild last season, the team’s young roster developed valuable experience. 

“Results-wise, for the most part, it wasn’t what we wanted. But we look at it as, we took a lot of positives out of the season. Clearly, our young prospects, getting the opportunity to play all those big minutes that they did was huge,” McLean said.

When asked what he learned about himself and the overall process in his first year in charge of the Wild, he responded, “How much time do you have, because it’s quite a bit.”

McLean was an assistant with the Minnesota Wild for three years before his current head coaching stint. 

“The guys really dug in and stuck to it and really trusted what we were saying, and we played our best hockey at the end of the season,” Head Coach Brett McLean said. Photo by Tim Garland courtesy of the Iowa Wild

“When I look back on it, it was fantastic. You’re asked to do quite a bit, maybe more than you thought you’d be doing during the season. But we all embraced it. And, obviously, having such a fantastic staff with Ben Simon and Richard Bachman certainly helped.”

Defender Carson Lambos shared McLean’s sentiment on how last season played out.

“I think we took a growth mindset last year and just wanted to see it get better every day, regardless of our situation, how many games you’re winning or losing,” Lambos said.

This season

Ahead of last season, McLean stated that his team’s main goals were to play fast, relentless and disciplined. He says that Wild fans can expect that philosophy to continue.

“Those three characteristics are always going to be focused on as a part of teams that I’m coaching. Toward the end of the year, we played a much faster game, we were much more disciplined, and we certainly became a relentless team,” McLean said.

Lambos said he enjoyed his time under McLean last season.

“(McLean is) someone that’s there to provide you the feedback and teachings when you need to work and get better at things, and he’s also good at holding guys accountable. I think that’s beneficial for me and everyone on our team,” Lambos said.

The Iowa Wild marketing team won the Marketing Campaign of the Year award in the American Hockey League. Photo by Tim Garland courtesy of the Iowa Wild

Several exciting prospects came to mind for McLean when asked about who Wild fans can expect to see on the ice this season. He listed players such as forward Sammy Walker, center Caeden Bankier and forward Michael Milne, among many others.

Sammy Walker, who led the Wild in points last season with 45, which included 14 goals and his team-leading 31 assists, will be huge for the team’s offense in 2024-2025. 

Caeden Bankier had 13 goals and 10 assists to account for his 23 points. McLean says Wild fans can expect for him to have an expanded role this year.

As for Michael Milne, he had eight goals and 13 assist last season in his 40 games on the ice for the Wild. 

Another one of those young players is Lambos. Lambos was a first-round pick for the Minnesota Wild in 2021 and just played his first full season with the Iowa Wild in 2023. The transition from junior hockey to playing against professionals was one of the challenges he faced in the process.

“Guys are bigger and stronger, and then, also, a lot smarter, too,” Lambos said. “It’s a harder game, and just trusting myself that I can contribute and be a good player at the pro level is something I’m working on.”

Lambos, a defender, played in 69 games and had four goals and 10 assists last season to accumulate 14 points. Lambos is a player that McLean believes can make an eventual impact at the national level.

“We’ve got a lot of great young defensive prospects. We look forward to seeing how they grow this year. Carson, he looked fantastic at development camp in Minnesota this July,” McLean said. 

Playing in the Central Division will prove to be a big challenge for the Wild again this season. Always a competitive group, the Central Division features several of the AHL’s toughest teams.

“There are great teams all over. Milwaukee (Admirals) is always one of the top teams. They’re always a big, heavy team and hard to play against. Nashville does a great job supporting them. The Rockford (Icehogs) is always a very highly skilled team. They have a bunch of really skilled forwards and a bunch of big defensive players. That’s kind of their model, and they’re a tough team to play against,” McLean said. “Manitoba (Moose) is a team that just plays hard all the time. They’re just in-your-face coached and one that you kind of have to go nose to nose with, and Texas (Stars) is the same.” 

The business behind the scenes

Allie Brown Korinek is the Iowa Wild’s vice president of business operations and has been with the Wild since its inception in 2013 in varying roles. She spoke about some of the challenges, benefits and strategies that go into getting the business and promotional side of the organization running before a season begins. 

“We are a developmental league, so that’s a big focus for us — showcasing that we’re developing the next stars for the NHL — and then also starting to tell that story for these players as they develop up into Minnesota,” Korinek said.  

In Iowa, a state more known for its love of football and wrestling, it can be a challenge to market hockey, but one that Korinek and the Wild welcome. 

“That is always a challenge. However, I think that’s part of what makes it fun, too. We’re trying to grow hockey. That is our mission, and our purpose is to grow hockey in the state of Iowa. So, a lot of our community programming goes into that,” Korinek said.

Community programs include giving kids free hockey gear and sponsoring community ice rinks across the metro. They also look to find new, innovative ways to engage with fans once they enter Wells Fargo Arena for a game. Korinek says their concert nights have been a great success. 

“I think we have a good, healthy mix of promotions. Some of our new promotions we have this year are Margaritaville, Santa-Con, Batman Night, ’90s night. We have a partnership with the Iowa Speedway for a racing night this year for families who have little kids. And we have a Bluey Night this year,” Korinek said.

And that’s not all. Fan favorites like Military Appreciation Night, Star Wars Night, Teddy Bear Toss and Pink in the Rink are back this year. 

Last season, the Iowa Wild’s marketing team was recognized for their efforts by the American Hockey League by being awarded the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award.

“It means a lot to our team. Our business team does a lot of work, and not only in the offseason, but throughout the season as well. We put a lot of work and effort into not only creating these marketing campaigns, but creating these promotions that are fun for our fans to come out and enjoy,” Korinek said. 

 

The Des Moines Buccaneers will be playing in the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex this season. Photo by Dynamic Motion

DES MOINES BUCCANEERS

The Des Moines Buccaneers will no longer call the Buccaneer Arena their home — at least for this season. A mechanical issue delayed the team in preparing the arena for the year, meaning the Bucs will make the short trip from Urbandale to West Des Moines to play at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex. 

“We are diligently working on creating a new seating layout that will try to mirror the same game day viewing experience you had at the Buccaneer Arena. Our goal is to ensure that you continue to enjoy the same great atmosphere and excitement that you’ve come to expect from Buccaneers hockey,” Buccaneers officials said in a statement.

The Buccaneers narrowly missed out on postseason play in 2023-2024. The team’s 25-30 record saw them fall just two games behind playoff qualification.  

Announced ahead of the new season are three new coaches joining the Buccaneers staff for 2024-2025. Matt Curley remains as head coach and general manager.

Gavin Bickford will be an assistant coach and assistant general manager to Curley. Previously, Bickford was the general manager of the Colorado Grit in the NAHL. 

“I look forward to being a part of an organization with such a rich history and passionate fan base,” Bickford said in a statement with the Buccaneers.

Jared Bussard will be joining the staff as an assistant coach, where he will work primarily with the forwards and power play. Bussard was most recently the player development coach for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL. 

Joining the team as a skills and development coach is Jordan Wishman. Wishman, who is from Des Moines, says he has an extra sense of pride in being part of such a storied organization. Wishman is fresh off a college hockey playing career as part of Niagara University and currently owns and operates One More Hockey and Alpha Fit. 

The Buccaneers’ preseason roster features last year’s point total leader, Ben Kevan. His 57 points came from a team-high 24 goals and a second-best 33 assists in 59 games. Kevan was a rookie last season. 

The next highest returning point-getter on the preseason roster is Jack Kernan. In 60 games, Kernan scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists. 

Ashton Dahms is also set to return. In 37 games, Dahms scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists. 

The team is missing its two highest-scoring defensemen from a year ago but is returning Connor Bewick. In Bewick’s rookie season, he had 2 goals and 14 assists. ♦

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