Iowa Heartlanders

The Iowa Heartlanders are a professional minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Coralville, Iowa. The team began play in the 2021–22 ECHL season, playing their home games at Xtream Arena.

Iowa Heartlanders
CityCoralville, Iowa
LeagueECHL
ConferenceWestern
DivisionCentral
Founded2021
Home arenaXtream Arena powered by Mediacom
ColorsBlack, sunrise yellow, grey, white
       
Owner(s)Deacon Sports and Entertainment
Head coachDerek Damon
AffiliatesMinnesota Wild (NHL)
Iowa Wild (AHL)
WebsiteOfficial website
Franchise history
2021–presentIowa Heartlanders
Current season

History

On September 17, 2020, Newfoundland Growlers' majority owner Dean MacDonald (through his group Deacon Sports and Entertainment) came to an agreement with the city of Coralville to place an ECHL team in Xtream Arena, pending league approval, for the 2021–22 season.[1] On January 12, 2021, the team was approved by the ECHL Board of Governors to join the league for the 2021–22 season.[2] In March 2021, the team announced it had hired former ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna as team president.[3] The team name, Iowa Heartlanders, was announced on May 20, 2021.[4] On June 17, the Heartlanders announced they would be the affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.[5] On July 27, 2021, the Heartlanders named Gerry Fleming as their inaugural head coach.[6]

On October 22, 2021, the Heartlanders played their first game against the Kansas City Mavericks and won 7–4 at home with more than 4000 in attendance. In November, Kris Bennett was named the team's first captain, with Jake Linhart and Riese Zmolek given alternate captain roles.

The Heartlanders finished their inaugural season with 29 wins, which included a franchise-best seven-game winning streak from mid-February - early March 2022.

In the summer of 2022, former Head Coach Gerry Fleming accepted an opportunity in the DEL (top German pro league) with a club in Frankfurt, Germany. The move paved the way for Fleming's assistant coach Derek Damon to take over the Head Coaching position. Damon was officially announced as the second coach in team history on July 5, 2022.

The Heartlanders set the team's all-time attendance record on Opening Night 2022 (Oct. 21, 2022) vs. the Idaho Steelheads.

Season-by-season records
Regular season Playoffs
SeasonGPWLOTLSOLPtsGFGAStandingYear1st round2nd round3rd roundKelly Cup
2021–2272293391682292637th, Central2022did not qualify

Players

Current roster

Updated November 13, 2022[7]

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
27 Alec Broetzman LW L 26 2022 Hudson, Wisconsin Heartlanders
10 Tyler Busch C L 27 2022 Lloydminster, Alberta Heartlanders
89 Nick Campoli C L 23 2022 Toronto, Ontario Heartlanders
43 Jake Durflinger RW R 25 2022 Walnut Creek, California Heartlanders
19 T.J. Fergus D L 25 2022 Oakville, Ontario Heartlanders
3 Bo Hanson D L 25 2022 Boise, Idaho Heartlanders
31 Corbin Kaczperski G L 26 2021 China Township, Michigan Heartlanders
33 Trevin Kozlowski G L 25 2022 Valencia, California Heartlanders
2 Brendan Less D R 24 2022 Kinnelon, New Jersey Heartlanders
7 Kevin McKernan D R 28 2022 Grafton, Massachusetts Heartlanders
36 Yuki Miura C R 26 2021 Tokyo, Japan Heartlanders
37 C. J. Motte G L 31 2022 St. Clair, Michigan Iowa
28 Matt Murphy D L 27 2022 Fredericton, New Brunswick Iowa
9 Nolan Orzeck D R 21 2022 Calgary, Alberta Heartlanders
6 Tommy Parrottino F L 24 2022 Rochester Hills, Michigan Heartlanders
44 Michael Pastujov LW L 23 2022 Bradenton, Florida Heartlanders
15 Brendan Robbins RW R 27 2022 Nashua, New Hampshire Heartlanders
– Dylan Sadowy LW L 26 2023 Brampton, Ontario Heartlanders
61 James Sanchez LW L 24 2022 Northbrook, Illinois Heartlanders
20 Cole Stallard F R 28 2021 Woodstock, Georgia Heartlanders
14 Justin Wells D L 24 2022 North Canton, Ohio Heartlanders
4 Ryan Wheeler D L 25 2022 Lancaster, New York Heartlanders
22 Zach White C R 27 2021 Milford, Connecticut Heartlanders
25 Riese Zmolek (C) D L 26 2021 Rochester, Minnesota Heartlanders

References
  1. "Coralville announces it is getting a professional hockey team". The Gazette. September 17, 2020.
  2. "ECHL Approves Two Expansion Memberships". ECHL. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  3. "IOWA NAMES MCKENNA AS TEAM PRESIDENT". ECHL. March 26, 2021.
  4. "INTRODUCING THE IOWA HEARTLANDERS". ECHL. May 20, 2021.
  5. "Minnesota Wild Announces Affiliation Agreement with Iowa Heartlanders". OurSports Central. June 17, 2021.
  6. "GERRY FLEMING NAMED HEARTLANDERS FIRST HEAD COACH". Iowa Heartlanders. July 27, 2021.
  7. "Iowa Heartlanders roster". eliteprospects.com. November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.


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