Corridor Cross Checks: New coach, new expectations for the Iowa Heartlanders

CORALVILLE - The playoff box has been checked. So has the win-a-playoff-game box.

Now it’s about winning a playoff series. Or two. Or three.

“We’re happy with the success we had last year, but I think we’re trying to find a way to break through and take that next step,” Iowa Heartlanders forward Jonny Sorenson said after his hockey club’s practice Wednesday at Coral Ridge Mall. “Throughout camp, I think it’s been guys that are trying to push themselves and this organization to new heights. It’s been really cool to see how hard everyone has been working.”

Sorenson is a returning Heartlander, named an alternate captain for the early part of the ECHL season with Yuki Miura. Ten guys on the opening-night roster played at least a handful of games last season in the Corridor.

Iowa qualified for the Kelly Cup playoffs in 2024-25 for the first time in the franchise’s now five-year history, losing a deciding Game 5 to Fort Wayne in the first round/Central Division semifinals. Head coach/general manager Derek Damon moved on to a similar position in the junior United States Hockey League with the Des Moines Buccaneers, with his replacement no stranger to the rigors of the ECHL.

Chuck Weber won Kelly Cup championships with Cincinnati in 2008 and 2010 and also has head-coaching experience in the higher-level American Hockey League. He spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with NCAA Division I RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).

“I love the team work ethic,” Weber said. “I think we’re going to be a team that is the sum of its parts. I don’t think we have that one superstar guy. You would say Toledo has (Brandon) Hawkins, those types of guys. But I think we’re going to be a group that’s going to be able to roll our lines and definitely play fast.

“I like our depth, I love our compete. We have an unbelievable locker room right now. We’re coming together quicker than I thought we would. Now it’s just cleaning up the details and getting used to the systems, how I want to play. You know, breaking a few habits and stuff like that.”

The Heartlanders have two players on two-way NHL contracts in defenseman Nick Masters and rookie goaltender Riley Mercer. He’ll combine with second-year pro William Rousseau for what should be a strong tandem to begin this season.

The only guy playing under an AHL contract is defenseman Mike Koster, who impressed late last season after signing an ECHL deal with Iowa following a career with the University of Minnesota.

Koster, Sorenson and forward Jaxon Nelson played together with the Golden Gophers. Nelson spent last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, where he was a fourth-line guy/regular scratch.

Weber said he expects Nelson to bring goal scoring at the level he had in college.

“I think we’re going to be really good,” Nelson said. “We’re going to be a high-skill team, push the pace and play fast and play hard. I think we’ve got a lot of ability to make plays in the offensive zone, and everyone can play every position.”

The Heartlanders get it going with a three-in-three weekend: Friday night at Xtream Arena against the Tulsa Oilers (7 p.m. opening faceoff), Saturday night at Bloomington and Sunday afternoon at home against Tulsa (3 p.m.).

“We want to hunt pucks, we want to play north. We want to get everybody involved offensively,” Weber said. “We want to make sure our ‘D’ are active on the offensive blue line as well as the rush. That comes with a lot of forward responsibility. I think we’ve got two very strong goaltenders that I think, especially early, will help us erase some mistakes.

“Mistakes are going to happen. But the biggest thing was the non-negotiables for these guys. That’s attitude, work ethic. Knock on wood, that’s been really fantastic.”

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

The RoughRiders won Wednesday night at Omaha, 4-3, and host Chicago at 7:05 Friday night. Four different players had goals for C.R. and five more different guys had assists.

The Riders went 1-1 on the road this past weekend, splitting a pair of games at Youngstown.

Cedar Rapids won this past Friday night’s game, 5-2, behind a four-goal third period. Justin Graf had a pair of goals, including an empty netter and leads the Riders in the early going this season with five.

Joseph Skidmore made 30 saves for the win in net, making his USHL debut.

Youngstown then won Saturday night’s game, 5-3. Cedar Rapids has a 6-1-0-1 record and 13 standings points.

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