Iowa Heartlanders sign Coach and GM Derek Damon to contract extension

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Iowa Heartlanders announced Friday they have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Coach/General Manager Derek Damon.

Damon has been with the ECHL hockey club since its inugural 2021-22 season, first as an assistant coach for Gerry Fleming and then its Coach/GM the past two seasons.

“I’m thrilled to sign this extension with the Heartlanders,” Damon said in a press release from the team. “This community holds a special place in my family’s heart and it’s been an honor to become a part of Eastern Iowa since we moved here before our inaugural season. As a team, we have unfinished business in year four and are looking forward to taking the next step and reaching the Kelly Cup Playoffs.”

Damon, 43, is a Maine native who played college hockey at the University of Maine. He then embarked on a professional career that began in 2005 and ended in 2020, spending most of it in Europe, specifically Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland.

His first coaching experience came with Salmon Arm of the junior British Columbia Hockey League.

“Derek has been an important piece of the Heartlanders’ growth, and it was essential we brought him back on a multi-year extension to remain one of the faces of our organization,” Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin said in a release. “Derek’s impact behind the bench and as a community ambassador has made him an invaluable asset to the long-term success of our team. We are headed in a strong direction organizationally, and having Derek as our head coach solidifies that our on-ice product will take the next steps to becoming a perennial winner.”

Iowa has finished in last place in the ECHL’s Central Division in its three seasons but has shown competitiveness. Devlin’s purchase of the franchise last summer appears to be a boon.

Damon has ingratiated himself in the community, running youth camps in the offseason. He has a wife and three children who are part of the Iowa City Community School District.

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