GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT TEXAS STARS 10.11.14
Oct 11, 2014Iowa Wild (0-1-0-0, 0 points) at Texas Stars (0-0-0-0, 0 Points)
Saturday’s game marks the second game of the 14-15 regular season for Iowa and the first game of the year for the defending Calder Cup champions. Iowa will attempt to spoil the banner-raising ceremony at Cedar Park Center, as the Stars celebrate their first cup. After realignment over the summer, the two teams find themselves in the AHL’s West Division. The two teams played six times in 2013-14. The division rivals will meet eight times in 2014-15. Texas claimed the last meeting between the two teams, a 4-2 victory at Wells Fargo Arena on Mar. 19, 2014. Dating back to last season, Texas has taken the last five meetings over Iowa. The Wild claimed the first-ever meeting on Nov. 1, 2013 – a 4-2 win at home.
Iowa concludes a two-game road trip through the Lone Star state on Saturday, after a 3-2 loss at San Antonio on Friday night. 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 Stars finished last season with a league-best 48-18-3-7 record, including an 29-8-0-1 record at Cedar Park Center. The Stars outscored the visitors on home ice last season 154-89.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
vs. Charlotte 10/25 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 –
· The Stars went 15-6 en route to the Calder Cup last spring.
Texas Stars
Texas returns 16 players who suited up for the Stars last season, including last year’s leading scorer Travis Morin. In his MVP season, Morin led the league in scoring with 32 goals and 56 assists and 88 points in 66 games played. Overall, he led the league in assists and points. He continued his dominance in the playoffs, taking MVP honors again with nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 21 games. Left wing Curtis McKenzie, who led all AHL rookies in scoring with 65 points, is back for his second season. Former first-round pick Scott Glennie returns for his fourth season with Texas. He had 15 goals and 28 points in 50 games played. Forward Brendan Ranford returns after scoring 12 goals and totaling 33 points in 65 games played. Captain Max Fortunus is in his sixth season with the Texas Stars. He and Morin are the last two originals that helped the team get started in 2009.
Goalies Jack Campbell and Jussi Rynnas will split time in net for the Stars. Campbell went 12-2-2 with a 1.49 GAA and a .942 SV%. Rynnas was in the Finnish Elite League last season, going 28-5-7 with a 1.51 GAA and a .939 SV%.