Results
| ECHL | 04/13 23:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Kansas City Mavericks | W | 7-4 | |
| ECHL | 04/12 23:35 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Kalamazoo Wings | L | 1-5 | |
| ECHL | 04/11 00:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Kalamazoo Wings | L | 2-6 | |
| ECHL | 04/07 00:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Toledo Walleye | L | 1-4 | |
| ECHL | 04/05 23:35 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Toledo Walleye | L | 3-5 | |
| ECHL | 04/03 23:35 | - | [2] Toledo Walleye v Iowa Heartlanders [25] | L | 5-1 | |
| ECHL | 03/30 23:05 | - | Kansas City Mavericks v Iowa Heartlanders | L | 3-1 | |
| ECHL | 03/30 00:35 | - | Kansas City Mavericks v Iowa Heartlanders | L | 4-2 | |
| ECHL | 03/28 00:05 | - | Kansas City Mavericks v Iowa Heartlanders | L | 3-2 | |
| ECHL | 03/24 19:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Wichita Thunder | W | 2-1 | |
| ECHL | 03/24 02:00 | - | [26] Wichita Thunder v Iowa Heartlanders [23] | W | 1-2 | |
| ECHL | 03/23 23:05 | - | Iowa Heartlanders v Wichita Thunder | W | 3-2 |
Wikipedia - 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.
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. On January 12, 2021, the team was approved by the ECHL Board of Governors to join the league for the 2021–22 season. In March 2021, the team announced it had hired former ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna as team president. The team name, Iowa Heartlanders, was announced on May 20, 2021. On June 17, the Heartlanders announced they would be the affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. On July 27, 2021, the Heartlanders named Gerry Fleming as their inaugural head coach.
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.
In July 2023, Michael Devlin became the team's majority owner. The switch helped improve the team's local direction and resources. Devlin, founded Heartlanders Hockey LLC and brought a strong hockey background to the team, having already been the primary owner of the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers.
The team's logo features a stylized heart with a hockey stick and puck, representing the Heartlanders' passion for the sport. The team's colors are navy blue, red, and white.
The Heartlanders have a strong roster of talented players, including forwards Alex Tonge and Tyler Sheehy, and defenseman Matt Register. The team is coached by Gerry Fleming, who has over 20 years of coaching experience in professional hockey.
The Heartlanders are committed to giving back to the community and have partnered with local organizations to support various causes. The team also offers a variety of fan experiences, including meet-and-greets with players and opportunities to skate on the ice after games.
Overall, the Iowa Heartlanders are a dynamic and exciting team that brings high-quality hockey to the Des Moines community.