Down on the Farm: 2023-34 Iowa Wild Season Preview
Minnesota's AHL affiliate looking strong for second decade in Iowa
As soon as last season ended, the Minnesota Wild wasted no time in reshaping the AHL club. The first step was replacing the coaching staff. New Head Coach Brett McLean was announced in May and begins his first season as a head coach this October. The former Minnesota Wild assistant coach is joined on the Iowa bench by newly appointed assistants Ben Simon and Patrick Dweyer. Goaltending Development Coach Richard Bachman was the lone holdover.
“We've put together an incredible staff with a ton of experience”, said McLean. “There isn't anything that within that coach's room somebody hasn't seen before or been through before. We just lean on each other and get through it as a staff. That's been a wonderful aspect of this new role for me.”
With the appointment of McLean and a strong group of prospects in the pipeline, there is a building sense of excitement in Des Moines. The initial version of the 2023-24 Iowa Wild looks like a formidable group, especially up front with a balanced combination of crafty veterans and blue-chip prospects. Iowa could arguably be equipped with the best goaltender tandem (Wallstedt/McIntyre) in the AHL. The AHL Wild will be young on defense, with nearly every defenseman in their first or second pro season. Even though the team looks good on paper, there is a long season ahead.
“Within our mind is a healthy respect for the American Hockey League, in the Central Division specifically to that”, added McLean. “We definitely like our group, but we know that this is a challenging league. Our players are going to be challenged each and every night. And that's a good thing. That's what we all want.
“We're excited to get our group together and start to see how the pieces kind of fit within that group and make sure that everybody's playing at the pace and at the level we expect from them. Really looking forward to getting things going.”
The offseason roster buildout was impressive and drew the attention of the players.
“I thought about it this summer when we were seeing guys sign,” said veteran forward Nic Petan. “We talked about it in the room. We kind of use the word ‘wagon’. We have a good forward group. I think the D is a great group too. Obviously, they're younger, and they're still learning. They are building confidence and learning each and every day.
But, our forward group, I think it's gonna be special if everyone stays healthy and everyone stays on here as well.”
The forward unit is perhaps the best group in the entire history of the Iowa Wild. Petan is coming off a career high 62 points. Up front, he is joined by Vinni Lettieri, Sammy Walker, Adam Beckman, Jake Lucchini, Steven Fogarty, Nick Swaney, and Joel Teasdale. All eight forwards scored over or just under 20 goals in the AHL last season. Center Jujhar Khaira is a handful up the middle and will be a critical piece. In addition, when Mason Shaw is healthy, the roster deepens. Rookies Casey Dornbach and Pavel Novak are also expected to make an impact.
The elderly statesman on the youthful defense is Dakota Mermis, who has been a main stay in Des Moines for the last few seasons. Mermis has also filled in admirably when counted on by Minnesota. His biggest challenge this season will likely be helping the young defense core find their pro game and show they belong.
“We have a young D-core and we will have to prove ourselves,” explained Mermis. “But with that comes a lot of energy, drive and excitement.”
As young as the defense group is from an age perspective, there is more experience than you would expect. Last season in Iowa, Daemon Hunt (21), Ryan O’Rourke (21) and Simon Johansson (24) cut their teeth and have one season under their belt. All three excelled and are now in the conversation of taking the next step of their NHL path.
This year, 2021 first rounder Carson Lambos (20) is joined by fellow rookies David Spacek (20) and Kyle Masters (20). All three rookies have offensive upside, indicated by their final season in juniors. Lambos posted 48 points in 61 games, to go along with a +60 rating. Spacek (round 5 - 2022 NHL Entry Draft) posted 57 points in 58 games with Sherbrooke (QMJHL). Masters (round 4 -2021 NHL Entry Draft) led all Kamloops (WHL) defenders with 65 points in 66 games played.
This young defense will oversee boxing out defenders and sweeping rebounds away from goaltenders Jesper Wallstedt and Zane McIntyre. Wallstedt, Minnesota’s 2021 first round pick (#20 overall) posted an 18-15-5 record with a 2.68 GAA and a .908 save percentage. He also became the youngest goaltender in AHL history to score a goal. Wallstedt is expected to make a jump in his game (as most AHL goalies do), while McIntyre is a long-time steady creaseminder.
McIntyre was 16-12-5 with a 2.87 GAA and a .899 save percentage in 2022-23. Despite the robust roster, the ninth-year pro said it will come down to a few things.
“It's just about being consistent and finding that consistency”, said McIntyre. “I think that's maybe more so where you see with the younger guys during a 76-game season. There's a couple of games that are unreal and a couple of games that, you know, maybe you circle as a couple of hiccups. It's just finding that consistent game and just bringing it every night.”
McLean and his staff have a vision of how they want the Iowa Wild to play on a nightly basis.
“We're going to be in the opposition's face”, explained the Iowa head coach. “We're going to be a difficult team to play against from the perspective that we're going to be taking away time and space from the opposition all over the rink. We feel like we've got a very good skating team and we want to use that asset as much as we can.
“Offensively, we want to use it in that we're attacking teams with speed. We're getting pucks in there as quick as we can and spending as much time in their zone. Defensively, we want to use that speed for closing on opponents and not letting them have time and space to make plays.”
It all sounds like the making of a fun season in Des Moines, where the Iowa Wild have extended its lease for another five seasons beginning in 23-24. In addition, Wells Fargo Arena has installed brand new dasher boards with an NHL setup that includes video replay access on the benches for coaches.
With all the newness in Iowa, it’s hard not to get excited as the Iowa Wild embark on what most expect to be a successful season.
The Iowa Wild season opener is on Friday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. against the Henderson Silver Knights at home. Tickets can be found here.
