2013–14 Iowa Wild season

2013–14 Iowa Wild
Division	4th Midwest Division
Conference	last Western Conference
2013–14 record	26–31–6–4 (62 pts)
Home record	3–4–0–0
Road record	2–0–0–0
Goals for	26
Goals against	26
Team information
General Manager	Jim Mill
Coach	Kurt Kleinendorst
Assistant Coach	Steve Poapst
Arena	Wells Fargo Arena
Team leaders
Goals	Erik Haula (14) Erik Haula (3) Jason Zucker (3)
Assists	Brian Connelly (27)
Points	Brian Connelly (32)
Penalties in minutes	Curt Gogol (170)
Plus/minus	(+) Kris Foucault (+4) (+) Jon Landry (+4) (+) Carson McMillan (+4) (–) Brian Connelly (–4) (–) Tyler Graovac (–4)
Wins	Darcy Kuemper (3)
Goals against average	Johan Gustafsson (2.58)
< 2012–13 2014–15 >

The 2013–14 Iowa Wild season is the franchise's first season in the American Hockey League, which began on October 12, 2013. It marked the debut of the Iowa Wild after they replaced the Houston Aeros as the Minnesota Wild minor league affiliate. It marked a return of professional hockey to Des Moines, Iowa for the first time since the Iowa Chops last season in 2009.

Off-season

Team creation

The 2013–14 season marked the debut of the Iowa Wild, the new American Hockey League team associated with the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild. They replaced the Houston Aeros after that team failed to reach a new lease agreement with the Toyota Center in Houston and moved to Des Moines, Iowa.^[1] It marks a return of professional hockey to Des Moines for the first time since the Iowa Chops were relocated to Cedar Park, Texas and renamed the Texas Stars.^[2] The Minnesota Wild praised the new arrangement, particularly due to Des Moines' close proximity to the team in Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[3][4] The team had four months to get the new franchise started for the season, a process that normally takes about a year.^[5] They had hoped to sell 1,300 season tickets during the off-season, but surpassed that goal by 200 seats.^[6]

Iowa was placed in the Midwest Division during an AHL realignment over the summer; the Houston Aeros had previously been in the South Division, which was renamed the West Division for 2013–14.^[7] The Minnesota Wild organization also renewed its association with Central Hockey League's Quad City Mallards during the off-season.^[4] Kurt Kleinendorst was named Iowa Wild's first head coach, replacing former Houston Aeros coach John Torchetti, who left for the Kontinental Hockey League.^[3] Iowa Wild General Manager Jim Mill previously played for Kleinendorst in 1992 in the then-East Coast Hockey League's Raleigh IceCaps.^[8] Mark Pierce, a public address announcer with the Iowa Cubs minor league baseball team who had also previously worked for the Iowa Chops, was hired as public address announcer for the Iowa Wild as well.^[9]

Roster changes and preseason games

While several players from last year's Houston Aeros roster remained with the Wild, the team also saw several departures, including forwards Stéphane Veilleux,^[10] David McIntyre,^[11] Josh Caron, Nick Petersen; defensemen Kyle Medvec, Sean Lorenz,^[12] Paul Mara, Marco Scandella and Drew Bagnall, the former team captain.^[11] Newcomers to the team included forwards Tyler Graovac,^[13] Taylor Matson,^[14] Dave Steckel,^[15] Warren Peters,^[11] and Raphael Bussieres; defensemen Corbin Baldwin^[16] defensemen Jonathon Blum and Jon Landry; and goaltender Johan Gustafsson.^[17] The team also re-signed defenseman Tyler Cuma.^[18] Forwards Jason Zucker and Carson McMillan both briefly played for the Minnesota Wild in early October, but were sent back down to Iowa before the start of their season.^[19]

Iowa played and won a pair of preseason exhibition games, both of which were determined in overtime. In the first, a 4–3 victory over the Chicago Wolves, the Wild came back after trailing 3–1 to tie the game, and Matson scored the game-winner 21 seconds into overtime.^[20] Iowa won the preseason finale 2–1 against the Milwaukee Admirals after forward Zack Phillips scored a power play goal with less than a minute of overtime left.^[21] Iowa center Charlie Coyle would miss the first 12 games of the regular season due to a sprained knee.^[22]

2013–14 Preseason Game Log: 1–0–0–0
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Record 1 September 27 Iowa 4–3 Chicago OT Guggenberger 1–0–0–0 2 October 4 Milwaukee 1–2 Iowa OT Kuemper 2–0–0–0

Regular season

October

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper was recalled to Minnesota on two separate occasions over the first two weeks of Iowa's season to serve as back-up goalie after Niklas Backstrom suffered a knee injury.^[23][24] The Iowa Wild won their season opener with a 1–0 shutout over the Oklahoma City Barons on October 12 before a crowd of 10,213, the largest hockey crowd for an ice hockey season opener in Des Moines, surpassing the previous record of 8,903 for the Iowa Stars in 2005.^[9] It was also the largest crowd to attend an AHL game at that point in the season so far.^[25] Gustafsson made 27 saves, and Brett Bulmer scored the team's first ever goal, with assists from Zucker and Chad Rau.^[9] The Wild lost 4–2 to the Barons the next day, with Oklahoma City scoring two power play goals within 46 seconds after Zucker got a 10-minute match penalty for an illegal check to the head against Linus Omark, a move that got Zucker suspended for two games.^[26][27]

Iowa next won a two-game sweep of the Charlotte Checkers on October 19 and 20, with Gustafsson making 33 saves in the first game, and Graovac scoring the franchise's first power play goal, with assists by Blum and rookie winger Erik Haula.^[28] The game marked Gustafsson's second win in two games, bringing his save percentage to .984. Haula, McMillian and Phillips led the team with four points each over the team's first four games, combining for five goals and seven assists. The Wild next played in five home games,^[29] starting with a 5–4 shootout victory over the Chicago Wolves on October 24. Haula, Matson, McMillian and Phillips each scored on the shootout.^[30] Iowa started a four-game homestead with a 3–2 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins after giving up the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation. They failed to score on seven power play opportunities, giving the team a 0-for-14 power play record in their four October home games. After going their first six games without one, center Jake Dowell was named Iowa Wild's first team captain.^[31]

November

After struggling on the power play last month, Iowa scored three power play goals in their 4–2 win over the Texas Stars, with two coming from Haula. Kleinendorst said the team had attempted a simlper approach to the man advantage.^[31] The Wild lost their next two games, starting with a 5–0 loss to Texas on November 2, the team's first shutout loss, despite Kuemper making 44 saves.^[32] McMillian was recalled to the Minnesota Wild on November 3,^[22] the same day as against the Milwaukee Admirals in a peanlty-heavy game that resulted in the issuance of 64 total penalty minutes.^[33]

Schedule and results

2013–14 Game Log – Regular season
October: 4–2–0–0 (Home: 2–2–0–0 ; Road: 2–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 1 October 12 Oklahoma City 0–1 Iowa Gustafsson 10,213 1–0–0–0 2 Gamesheet 2 October 13 Oklahoma City 4–2 Iowa Kuemper 4,217 1–1–0–0 2 Gamesheet 3 October 19 Iowa 3–1 Charlotte Gustafsson 9,021 2–1–0–0 4 Gamesheet 4 October 20 Iowa 7–2 Charlotte Kuemper 3,687 3–1–0–0 6 Gamesheet 5 October 24 Chicago 4–5 Iowa SO Kuemper 4,318 4–1–0–0 8 Gamesheet 6 October 27 Grand Rapids 3–2 Iowa Kuemper 3,825 4–2–0–0 10 Gamesheet
November: 1–2–0–0 (Home: 1–2–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 7 November 1 Texas 2–4 Iowa Kuemper 5,609 5–2–0–0 12 Gamesheet 8 November 2 Texas 5–0 Iowa Kuemper 7,514 5–3–0–0 12 Gamesheet 9 November 3 Milwaukee 5–2 Iowa Gustafsson 3,042 5–4–0–0 12 Gamesheet 10 November 8 Iowa Rockford 11 November 9 Iowa Rockford 12 November 13 Chicago Iowa 13 November 15 San Antonio Iowa 14 November 16 Milwaukee Iowa 15 November 22 Grand Rapids Iowa 16 November 23 Abbotsford Iowa 17 November 24 Abbotsford Iowa 18 November 27 Iowa Chicago
December: 0–0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 19 December 4 Iowa San Antonio 20 December 6 Iowa Texas 21 December 7 Iowa Texas 22 December 11 Iowa Abbotsford 23 December 12 Iowa Abbotsford 24 December 15 Rockford Iowa 25 December 18 Grand Rapids Iowa 26 December 20 Hamilton Iowa 27 December 21 San Antonio Iowa 28 December 26 Rockford Iowa 29 December 29 Milwaukee Iowa
January: 0–0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 30 January 3 Iowa Rockford 31 January 4 Iowa Chicago 32 January 10 Iowa Grand Rapids 33 January 11 Iowa Grand Rapids 34 January 12 Iowa Hamilton 35 January 15 Toronto Iowa 36 January 17 Lake Erie Iowa 37 January 18 Lake Erie Iowa 38 January 22 Iowa Texas 39 January 24 Iowa San Antonio 40 January 25 Iowa San Antonio 41 January 31 Milwaukee Iowa
February: 0–0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 42 February 1 Iowa Chicago 43 February 5 Utica Iowa 44 February 7 Chicago Iowa 45 February 8 Iowa Rockford 46 February 14 Iowa Milwaukee 47 February 15 Rockford Iowa 48 February 16 Rockford Iowa 49 February 19 Iowa Rochester 50 February 21 Iowa Lake Erie 51 February 22 Iowa Lake Erie 52 February 25 Rockford Iowa 53 February 27 Rochester Iowa 54 February 28 Iowa Milwaukee
March: 0–0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 55 March 2 Iowa Chicago 56 March 7 Iowa Grand Rapids 57 March 8 Iowa Grand Rapids 58 March 9 Iowa Milwaukee 59 March 12 Iowa Milwaukee 60 March 16 San Antonio Iowa 61 March 19 Texas Iowa 62 March 21 Grand Rapids Iowa 63 March 22 Grand Rapids Iowa 64 March 25 Charlotte Iowa 65 March 26 Charlotte Iowa 66 March 29 Iowa Toronto 67 March 30 Iowa Utica
April: 0–0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 68 April 2 Iowa Grand Rapids 69 April 4 Iowa Milwaukee 70 April 6 Iowa Chicago 71 April 11 Chicago Iowa 72 April 12 Iowa Rockford 73 April 13 Milwaukee Iowa 74 April 16 Chicago Iowa 75 April 18 Iowa Oklahoma City 76 April 19 Iowa Oklahoma City
Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1-point)

Milestones

Player	Milestone	Reached
Johan Gustafsson	1st AHL Game 1st AHL Win	October 12, 2013	[9]
Raphael Bussieres	1st AHL Game	October 12, 2013	[34][35]
Tyler Graovac	1st AHL Game	October 12, 2013
Tyler Graovac	1st AHL Goal	October 19, 2013	[28]
Erik Haula	1st AHL Regular Season Goal	October 20, 2013	[36]
Steven Kampfer	100th AHL Game 1st AHL Win	October 24, 2013	[36]
Raphael Bussieres	1st AHL Goal	October 24, 2013
Brian Connelly	300th AHL Game	November 1, 2013	[31]

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Updated as of November 7, 2013^[37]

Regular Season Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM Haula, ErikErik Haula^* 9 3 4 7 0 4 Zucker, JasonJason Zucker 7 3 3 6 −1 16 McMillan, CarsonCarson McMillan^‡ 7 2 4 6 4 2 Connelly, BrianBrian Connelly 9 0 6 6 −4 4 Foucault, KrisKris Foucault 9 2 3 5 4 0 Phillips, ZachZach Phillips 9 2 3 5 −1 0 Peters, WarrenWarren Peters 6 1 4 5 0 12 Kampfer, StevenSteven Kampfer 9 1 4 5 3 19 Dowell, JakeJake Dowell 9 2 2 4 0 16 Blum, JonathonJonathon Blum 9 0 4 4 0 0 Bulmer, BrettBrett Bulmer 8 3 0 3 2 6 Graovac, TylerTyler Graovac^* 9 2 0 2 −4 8 Matson, TaylorTaylor Matson 9 2 0 2 −2 10 Steckel, DaveDave Steckel^‡ 4 1 1 2 2 4 Bussieres, RaphaelRaphael Bussieres^* 9 1 1 2 −2 27 Rau, ChadChad Rau 8 0 2 2 1 0 Cuma, TylerTyler Cuma 9 0 2 2 2 2 Veilleux, StephaneStephane Veilleux 2 0 1 1 −2 4 Landry, JonJon Landry 8 0 1 1 4 4 Medvec, KyleKyle Medvec 9 0 1 1 −2 4 Baldwin, CorbinCorbin Baldwin 4 0 0 0 0 21

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining team. Stats reflect time with the team only.
^‡Left the team mid-season
^*Rookie

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on Ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SV = Saves; SA = Shots Against; SV% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts; G = Goals; A = Assists; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Updated as of November 7, 2013^[38]

Regular Season

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SV	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Gustafsson, JohanJohan Gustafsson	4	209:32	2	1	9	2.58	94	103	.913	0	0	0	0
Kuemper, DarcyDarcy Kuemper	6	331:43	3	3	16	2.89	173	189	.915	0	0	0	0
Totals		541:15	5	4	25	2.77	267	292	.914	0	0	0	0

^‡Left the team mid-season
^*RookieOp

References

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26. Kopatich, Bill (October 13, 2013). "Hockey: 'Desperate' Barons hand Iowa Wild their first setback". The Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
27. Birch, Tommy (October 15, 2013). "Video: The hit that got Iowa Wild player suspended". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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38. "Goalies – 2013–14 Regular Season – Iowa Wild". American Hockey League. Retrieved November 7, 2013.

External links

• Iowa Wild official site