If you’re a fan of hockey and want to see the NHL’s next big hits, then you know about the Iowa Wild. The affiliate team for the NHL’s Minnesota Wild has a history of playing thrilling games and fielding players who often go on to become big names in the NHL. When this team hits their home ice at Wells Fargo Arena, you know people are going to cheer. Because their home games are full of incredible drives down the ice and daring shots to rack up the points. Critics and fans alike agree that the Wild are the team to watch and this season’s lineup is no different. So tickets are already flying off the shelves.
About Desmoines Arena
Wells Fargo Arena is the home arena for the Iowa Wild. It is a multi-purpose arena that is part of Des Moines’ Iowa Events Center and it opened on July 12, 2005. The venue is primarily used for sports events and concerts and has seating capacity for 15,181 guests for hockey and arena football games and nearly 17,000 seats for certain concert events as detailed below.
It also features the world-famous The Fort Restaurant which provides a gorgeous view of the Des Moines River and the Iowa State Capitol.
As an athletics venue, Wells Fargo Arena has been the home for a variety of teams across its history. Here is a brief look at the tenants both past and present.
Besides sports events, Wells Fargo Arena has been used for a variety of other purposes. For instance, the first event held at the arena was Tony Hawk’s Boom-Boom Huck Jam, on July 1. And its first concert was a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with The Black Crowes concert held on July 18.
Ice Hockey Team Summary
The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They began to play for the 2013-14 season and are currently affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. The team plays their home games at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
The team was formerly known as the Houston Aeros in Houston, Texas until the 2013-14 AHL season when they relocated to Des Moines. The Wild is currently the second AHL team based in Des Moines following the Iowa Stars, which had been the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate from 2005-2008. Then the team played their final season as the Iowa Chops in 2008-09.
The Iowa Wild is the first of two affiliations between Twin Cities area franchises.
History
The Iowa Wild began play as a 1994 expansion team in the IHL. The Aeros, as the team was called, were one of six IHL teams that later joined the AHL in 2001 when the IHL folded. Upon joining the AHL, the Aeros were affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild who were, at the time, a one-year-old expansion team.
This new version of the Aeros won the 2003 Calder Cup and reached the 2011 Calder Cup finals.
Today, the Iowa Wild continue their growth as a team with a 2019 run that reached the playoffs for the first time since relocating from Houston. The team had even reached the division finals where they were defeated by the Chicago Wolves. The following year was curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while the Wild held a second place in the division.