Down on the Farm: Iowa Season Recap

To say the 2022-23 American Hockey League season was one of ups and downs would be an understatement. The team's 10th season was filled with massive climbs (14-game points streak) and intermittent drops (9-game winless skid). It would qualify as a crazy roller coaster with every loop, corkscrew, tunnel and speed burst providing a heart-pounding season that gets the blood moving.
Iowa qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs, finishing as the fourth seed in the AHL's Central Division. The playoffs ended after two overtime losses to Rockford in a best-of-three first round series. It marked only the second time in ten seasons that Wells Fargo Arena hosted a playoff game. More importantly, numerous Minnesota prospects enjoyed an incredible season to set up a promising future.

Most Improved Adam Beckman

Adam Beckman took a huge step forward this season. Essentially, putting himself in position to become one of the next "Iowa" guys to be a regular in Saint Paul. We have seen a similar growth pattern (like Dewar, Duhaime, Addison) with the 21-year-old from Saskatoon, SK. The 2019 third-round pick (#75 overall) showed he can bury the puck with 24 goals in 53 games. That was a +13 differential from his rookie season, where he posted 11 in 68 games. In 15 less games, he also produced two more points than the previous year. Beckman was pivotal in all situations for Iowa, especially on the penalty kill. He also made big improvements with his plus-minus, jumping up by +18. He led Iowa by a large margin with 190 shots on goal. Finally, he showed he can play with the big club, getting his skates wet in nine games in 2022-23.

Marco Hit His Mark

After starting the season in Minnesota, Rossi was assigned to Iowa in late November. He stayed in Iowa until an April recall brought him up for an additional three NHL games. In Iowa, he finished second on the team in scoring with 51 points in 53 games. Rossi was third on the team with 35 assists, including 16 on the power-play (ranked 2nd on the club). The 21-year-old followed up in the playoffs with two points in two games.

Wally's World - Here Comes Wallstedt

Minnesota's 2021 first-round pick (#20 overall) had an excellent rookie campaign. It was a smidge of a slow start for the young Swede, but he picked up his first pro win in exceptional fashion on November 12 at Chicago. Wallstedt stopped 37 of 39 Wolves shots for the victory, but what made it exceptional was his empty-net goal at 19:27 to seal the win. At 19, he became the youngest goalie to score in AHL history.

The 20-year-old showed his capabilities to get hot and go on a tear. In January, Iowa set a team record with 14 straight games with at least a point. During that time, Wallstedt posted an Iowa record with eight straight wins by a goalie. He was an impeccable 8-0-0 with a 1.28 goals against average and a .951 save percentage. For his efforts, the AHL named him the goalie of the month for January.
Wallstedt finished the season with an 18-15-5 record, to go along with a 2.68 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. He was named to the AHL All-Star classic where he joined teammate Sammy Walker to represent Iowa.

Top Rookie Sammy Walker

Sammy Walker made an immediate impact for Iowa. In his pro debut, he scored a goal and added an assist for Iowa on opening night. He kept scoring all season, remaining atop Iowa's points leaders for the bulk of the season. Walker led Iowa in goals scored (27), power-play goals (9) and was second overall in plus/minus at +19. The Edina, MN native finished third in the AHL for goals by a rookie, and tied for sixth overall with 48 points in 56 games played. The 23-year-old was named the AHL's rookie of the month for November and earned his first NHL callup in December. He played a total of nine games with Minnesota, scoring a goal and totaling two points.

See it in 3-D

Iowa had three rookie prospects debut this season, each one a Minnesota Wild draft pick. Simon Johansson, Daemon Hunt, and Ryan O'Rourke joined the pro ranks and each one had a successful campaign. Johansson, the fifth-round pick (#148) by Minnesota in 2018, played in 64 contests for the AHL club, setting up 12 goals and totaling 14 points. Hunt, the third rounder (#65 overall) from the 2020 NHL Draft, collected two goals and 11 points in 59 outings. O'Rourke, a second-round pick (#40 overall) in 2020, made 67 appearances and collected nine assists. O'Rourke was among the team's best defenders with a +10. All three are expected to play major roles next season in Des Moines.

Change Is Coming to Iowa Bench

After the season ended, Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin announced the club would not be renewing the contracts of the Iowa Wild coaching staff. Head Coach Tim Army, as well as assistant coaches Nolan Yonkman and Nate DiCasmirro will not return after Iowa posted a 34-27-6-5 record. Goaltending coach Richard Bachman was retained.
Army had been at the helm in Des Moines for five seasons, getting the club to the playoffs in 2019 and 2023. He was the longest tenured coach in the team's history and leaves as the club's all-time leader in wins. From 2018-23, Army posted a 157-115-26-19 record.
Iowa begins the search for the sixth head coach in team history. Iowa Wild General Manager Mike Murray will be busy this summer with finding a new bench boss and the usual roster shuffle of prospects.

Notables

• Forward Nic Petan enjoyed a career year with 23 goals and 39 assists for 62 points in 53 games. All three offensive categories were personal bests. The 28-year-old scored crucial goals with eight game winners and led the club with a +20 rating.
• Defenseman Joe Hicketts set an Iowa team record for assists and points by a defenseman with 42 helpers and 48 points in 72 games. The 26-year-old was the only player to skate in every game.