Iowa Heartlanders renew partnership with Minnesota Wild

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Iowa Heartlanders will continue to go wild. Or Wild.

The ECHL hockey club announced Friday it has extended its affiliation agreement with the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild. The extension is for three years and allows Minnesota to assign prospects to the club.

Minnesota and Iowa have been “married” since the Heartlanders’ inception in 2021.

“We are very excited to extend our ECHL affiliation agreement with the Iowa Heartlanders,” Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin said in a press release. “It is great for our organization to have the ability to develop players at both the AHL and ECHL level in Iowa. We look forward to continuing to help the Heartlanders and Iowa Wild grow hockey in the state.”

The Heartlanders have yet to have a former player advance to the NHL, though goaltender Hunter Jones was on the Wild’s playoff roster and taxi squad. A total of 32 Heartlanders players have played for the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild, which is Minnesota’s top minor-league team.

“We are thrilled to renew and continue our affiliation with the Minnesota Wild,” Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin said in a press release. “Over the past season our ties with the Wild really strengthened and their support has been essential to the growth of Heartlanders hockey in eastern Iowa. We look forward to building upon our strong partnership and developing top-tier talent for the Iowa Wild and Minnesota Wild. Both are truly first-class organizations and we are excited for many successful seasons together.”

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