Down on the Farm: Confident Iowa Surging in Des Moines

The Iowa Wild is one of the hottest teams in the American Hockey League since the Christmas break. Minnesota's prospects came out of the break and claimed eight of ten into the month of January. The club rounded the midway point of the year in full stride, playing the best hockey of the season.

Iowa has a run of seven games with a point (6-0-0-1) after a shootout loss at home to Milwaukee ended a streak of six victories. Iowa's Marco Rossi sent the game to overtime, scoring with 16 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. Heading into late January, the team has one regulation loss in the New Year. Iowa now finds itself in the thick of the Calder Cup playoff race in the AHL's Midwest Division.
"We were not playing very well in December, the break was a perfect time for us to hit the reset button and come back with a different mindset," said Iowa Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis. "We came back from Christmas and got two big wins right away. You could feel things starting to turn. Now we have a string of wins. You can feel the consistency and confidence move its way through the group."
The timing of Iowa's surge is critical with the final three months of the season on the horizon.
"You want to be playing your best hockey heading into the second part of the year, especially towards the end, and into the playoffs," added the veteran Mermis. "The goal is always the same in that you want to win your last game of the year.
"All teams go through some sort of inconsistency during the season. For us, it was earlier in the year and hopefully that's it. We learned from that to move forward into the second half of the season."
Mermis saw his leadership role expanded when the "C" was sown on the front of his sweater, ironically just after Christmas. The role had been vacant since October 21, when Mason Shaw was recalled to Minnesota after serving as Iowa's team captain a few games into the AHL season. Shaw never returned after earning a spot in Saint Paul. Since that time, numerous players have worn the "A" for the Iowa Wild, including Mermis.
"With my experience, having worn a letter for most of my career, including a 'C' before, I felt like I could help fill the void with Shawsy not being here anymore," explained the newly appointed captain. "It was a unique situation for us. I feel like it was a great opportunity for me to help lead in a positive role to help turn the ship around."
The leadership role is something Mermis is accustomed to and he is a natural fit. The eighth-year pro, who grew up on the Illinois side of St. Louis, has worn the "C" in the AHL previously, serving as captain of the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners in 2018-19.
In the American Hockey League, teams with a superb blend of talented prospects and seasoned vets are typically successful. Mermis is among a handful of veteran players who have been an essential part of the team's recent run of success. Combined with the contributions from young and developing prospects, it's not surprising the team is playing so well.
In addition to the captain, skilled veteran forwards Nic Petan and Steven Fogarty have paced the team over the run. The success has been contagious, and the younger players are benefitting from their ice time with the elder statesmen. Marco Rossi, Adam Beckman and Sammy Walker have reaped the rewards and the team is thriving.
"I think we have a great group of players that are playing well right now," said forward Adam Beckman.
"Those two (Petan and Fogarty) are on their game right now, and so is Sammy. They are seeing the game so well right now. That makes it look easy for them when it's like that. I try to learn what I can from them and help lead by example."
The success has not been limited to the front end, as the defense has plenty to boast about lately. On the back end, veteran defensemen Joe Hicketts and Andrej Sustr, along with Mermis, have helped accelerate the development of defensive prospects Daemon Hunt, Ryan O'Rourke and Simon Johansson. The team defense has improved overall, allowing goaltenders Zane McIntyre and rookie Jesper Wallstedt to build confidence and momentum in the crease.
There are heavy indicators that 2021 first round pick Wallstedt is making major strides in his development. One of the reasons for Iowa's run of success is the play of the 20-year-old netminder. He is easily playing the best of his professional career since Christmas. Over a stretch of five straight victories in January, the Swede only allowed five goals and stopped 147 for a .967 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.00.
It's not surprising that Wallstedt and fellow rookie Sammy Walker were selected to the AHL All-Star classic on February 5-6 in Laval. Walker has enjoyed a stellar season and ranked among the top scoring rookies in overall scoring in the AHL. The Edina native made his NHL debut in Vancouver on December 10.
The second half of the season is taking shape to be an enjoyable three months in Des Moines.