Iowa Heartlanders look forward to next season after missing ECHL playoffs

CEDAR RAPIDS — Point to the positive. That positive was the way the Iowa Heartlanders played hockey the final half of the ECHL season.

It was a second straight campaign without a playoff berth. It was a second straight campaign finishing last in the Central Division.

But the Heartlanders were competitive in February, March and April. The numbers prove it.

“Although we didn’t reach the playoffs, our record over the final 31 games was 14-13-4. That’s one game above hockey .500,” said Heartlanders Coach/General Manager Derek Damon. “That would put us in playoff contention. It just shows that those points at the beginning of the year are so important. Me going into year two as a coach, I’ll know how to prepare so we can hit the ground running next year.”

Damon got a head start on next year down the stretch. After college hockey teams concluded their seasons one by one, the Heartlanders went hard after pro-eligible players from college hockey one by one.

In the season finale, a 4-2 win over Wheeling at Xtream Arena, Iowa had six players (including goalie Mitch Benson) in the lineup who were late-season signees from U.S. colleges.

That was by design.

“That’s an opportunity for us to look at guys, and for guys to get their feet wet in pro hockey,” Damon said. “It gives us a chance to see a guy like Jared Kucharek, a 6-foot-3 D-man out of Lake (Superior) State. He came in and solidified himself. He established himself, and was a key for us on the blueline at the end of the season.

“(Forward) Jesse Jacques out of Minnesota-Duluth, he came in and solidified himself on the roster with the way he played. For us, we needed to get more of those college players from the big-time schools. We were able to hit with him and a couple of other guys.”

Damon said he learned a ton as a first-time head coach. He was an assistant last season under Gerry Fleming, who took a job with a pro team in Germany.

That this club continued to play hard despite its record (the Heartlanders went 22-36-13-1) is a credit to Damon and associate head coach Joe Exter.

Iowa was hamstrung in a sense in that it didn’t get any players assigned to it by its NHL affiliate Minnesota Wild, with the exception of goaltender Hunter Jones, whom Damon called the backbone of his team. The Heartlanders also didn’t get many American Hockey League-contracted players from the Iowa Wild sent their way.

That makes a difference.

“Having American League-contracted guys on your roster, those guys are impactful guys at this level,” Damon said. “Having guys like that on your roster perhaps would give you more wins. It’s hard to say. But they are impactful players, and impactful players can go out there and win you games. Like a Kris Bennett last year for us, or a Ryan Kuffner.

“But at the end of the day, it comes back to our culture, that mindset. The team that goes out there and works the hardest generally wins. You saw that. When we brought it, we gave ourselves a chance every night.”

Damon said he’s excited for the future of the franchise, despite the Heartlanders ranking last in the ECHL in attendance at 1,851, down from the inaugural 2021-22 season. The coach is conducting camps over the summer in Coralville in an attempt to get more and more youths into hockey.

That grassroots effort is important to cultivate interest in the sport in the Corridor, he said. The Heartlanders have one more season left on their lease with Xtream Arena.

“I think we are heading in a very positive direction,” Damon said. “I think we have learned each year. The numbers have grown in youth hockey around here, the younger ages, which is encouraging and what we wanted. We need continue to make strides there. That’s how we grow the game here.

“Hopefully with help, we can grow together with the Cedar Rapids area. They have a great tradition up there, (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Coach/GM) Mark Carlson is an incredible coach and incredible man. He has offered advice for me being a young coach. I have a lot of respect for him. I am very encouraged with where this organization is headed.”

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