Iowa Heartlanders have been sold

CORALVILLE - The Iowa Heartlanders have new owners.

The third-year ECHL club has been bought by a group headed by businessman Michael Devlin, who owns the junior Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders also are a member of the USHL.

Devlin’s Heartlanders Hockey LLC purchased the Heartlanders from Deacon Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian-based ownership that brought professional hockey to the Corridor. The ECHL’s Board of Governors has approved the ownership change.

“I am honored to join the Heartlanders family and (hope to) help build a rich hockey culture in our community,” Devlin said in a statement. “My top goal is to create a winning environment to make our fans proud. Additionally, we plan to continue to deepen the already strong connection the Heartlanders have forged in this community with their fans and partners. We are committed to working closely with businesses in the community and offering them beneficial and unique opportunities to create a strong brand presence for the Heartlanders. Together, we can build a prosperous and thriving hockey culture in eastern Iowa."

Devlin has done business in Iowa and helped secure a new arena in Des Moines for the Buccaneers to play. He is co-founder and managing director of Curragh Capital Partners, a private investment firm in New York.

“On behalf of our Board of Governors, the league is proud to welcome Michael Devlin into the ECHL with his experienced business background and commitment to hockey in the state of Iowa,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “Combining the synergies of the Heartlanders in conjunction with his ownership of the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers, we are excited to see the growth of hockey through his leadership in the region, welcoming a new wave of fans to the Xtream Arena.”

On the ice, the Heartlanders have missed the ECHL playoffs their first two years of existence, though Coach/General Manager Derek Damon appears to be building a team for 2023-24 that is vastly improved.

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Off the ice, the Heartlanders finished 28th and last in the ECHL in average attendance of 1,851 fans per game. They averaged 1,961 fans per game in their inaugural season, which ranked second to last in the league.

The ECHL is considered a Double-A level of hockey, with the Heartlanders sharing a National Hockey League affiliation with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild’s top minor-league club is the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, located in Des Moines.

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