GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE 10.10.14
Oct 10, 2014Iowa Wild (0-0-0-0, 0 points) at San Antonio Rampage (0-0-0-0, 0 Points)
Friday’s game marks the first game of the 2014-15 season for the Iowa Wild and the San Antonio Rampage. After realignment over the summer, the two teams find themselves in the AHL’s West Division. After playing six times in 2013-14, the division rivals will meet eight times in 2014-15. Iowa claimed the last meeting between the two teams, a 2-1 victory at Wells Fargo Arena on Mar. 16, 2014. Dating back to last season, Iowa has taken the last five meetings over San Antonio. All five wins have come by one goal, with three shootout wins and one OT victory.
Iowa begins a two-game road trip through the Lone Star state on Friday in San Antonio, followed by a Saturday game in Cedar Park against the Texas Stars. The Wild went 16-14-4-4 on the road last season, having been outscored away from home 121-95. The trip marks the first time in team history the season begins on the road. Iowa posted a 27-36-7-6 record in 2013-14. The Wild was second overall last season with 23 overtime appearances. The Rampage finished last season with a 30-37-3-6 record, including an 18-14-3-3 record at AT&T Center. The Rampage was outscored on home ice last season 121-118 by the visitors.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at San Antonio 10/10 7:30 PM iHeartRadio
at Texas 10/11 7:00 PM iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 10/17 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 10/18 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 10/24 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Captains:
Iowa Wild General Manager Jim Mill announced on Wednesday the American Hockey League (AHL) club has named the team captains for the 2014-15 season. Veteran forward Stephane Veilleux has been named Team Captain. Defenseman Justin Falk and forward Brett Sutter were both named Alternate Captains.
Veilleux is a 14-year veteran with over 800 combined games of NHL and AHL experience. He has been in the Minnesota Wild organization for 11 seasons. Falk, originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (#110 overall), will wear the “A” for Iowa this season. He has played in 129 NHL games, mostly for Minnesota, scoring one goal and adding 16 assists for 17 points. Veteran forward Brett Sutter will also wear an “A”. He played in 62 games for the Charlotte Checkers last season, scoring 15 times and setting up 29 others for a total of 44 points. He also played in 17 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes. He posted one goal and one assist for two points with Carolina. Overall, the Viking, AB native has played in 467 AHL games, scoring 79 goals and adding 122 assists for 201 points.
Rookie Debuts:
The Iowa Wild is poised for numerous debuts this weekend in Texas. Defenseman Guillaume Gelinas turns pro after a wrapping up his final junior season in the QMJHL. The 21-year old defenseman led the QMJHL in scoring from the blueline, posting 69 assists and 92 points in 67 games played. He also posted a +47 en route to being named the league’s defenseman of the year. Rookie defenseman Alex Gudbranson and Jake Parenteau are also expected to make their debuts. Gudbranson played the last five years in the OHL and is the younger brother of Florida Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Parenteau spent the last four years at the University of Minnesota.
Rookie forward Zack Mitchell turns pro after a strong senior campaign with Guelph in the OHL. An alternate captain in Guelph, Mitchell scored 31 goals with 52 assists and was +52 with 40 penalty minutes in 67 regular season games. He led the team in playoff scoring with 30 points and 18 assists.
Finnish forward Michael Keranen is also expected to make his North American debut. Last year, the 24-year old played for Ilves Tampere (FNL), leading the team in assists (35) and points (52), while finishing second on the team with 17 goals in 52 games. He was named the recipient of the “Golden Helmet” Award, the league’s top honor as voted on by the players. Previous winners include NHL’ers Teemu Selanne (’91), Saku Koivu (’95), Tim Thomas (’05), and Ville Leino (’08).
Defenseman Justin Falk will make his Iowa debut this weekend. Forwards Jordan Schroeder, Ryan Walters, Joel Rechlicz, Brett Sutter are also expected to make their Wild debuts this weekend. Rookies Gustav Olofsson, Kurtis Gabriel, Brady Brassart all made their debuts at the end of last season and begin their first full pro season.
Iowa Wild
Iowa returns 15 players who skated with last year’s team, including 13-14 leading scorer Zack Phillips. The third-year forward led the club with 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 76 games. Forwards Tyler Graovac (13g, 25 pts), Brett Bulmer (11g-19 pts), Marc Hagel (8g-15 pts) and Raphael Bussieres (5g,19 pts) all return for their second season in Iowa. Penalty-minute leaders defenseman Corbin Baldwin (129) and forward Curt Gogol (204), also return for their second season with the Wild. After leading the blueline in points in 2013-14, defenseman Jon Blum returns for his second season in Iowa.
Goalies John Curry and Johan Gustafsson return to the Iowa Wild crease. Curry was 7-9-2 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV% with Iowa in 2013-14. Johan Gustafsson was 12-20-4 with a 2.98 GAA and a .903 SV %.
Notables –
· San Antonio carries defenseman Steven Kampfer on its roster. Kampfer played for Iowa in 2013-14.
San Antonio Rampage
San Antonio returns 17 players who suited up for the Rampage last season, including last year’s leading scorer Bobby Butler. The veteran right wing scored a team-high 22 goals and totaled 47 points in 69 games. He also won a Calder Cup in Binghamton with Iowa Head Coach Kurt Kleinendorst in 2011. After a stellar rookie season, center Vincent Trocheck returns for his sophomore year. He scored 16 times and added 26 assists for 42 points in 55 games played. Drew Shore, who finished with 32 points in 50 games is back for his third season in San Antonio. Veteran scoreer Marc Mancari also returns to the Rampage. The team saw captain Greg Rallo depart in the offseason for the Texas Stars.
Goalies Dan Ellis and Michael Houser will split time in net for the Rampage. Ellis spent last year in Florida and Dallas, going 5-11-0 with a 3.62 GAA and a .879 SV %. Houser was 12-13-1 in San Antonio with a 3.05 GAA and a .903 SV%.