IOWA WILD ANNOUNCES CAL PETERSEN AS 2025-26 IOA/AMERICAN SPECIALTY MAN OF THE YEAR
Apr 14, 2026DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Wild are proud to announce that Cal Petersen has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Des Moines community during the 2025-26 season.
The Iowa Wild are focused on growing the sport of hockey in Iowa, and Petersen immediately took this mission to heart upon joining the team. During the opening weekend of the season, the Waterloo, Iowa native approached the team and asked what he could do to help local kids try the sport of hockey.
“My hockey journey started right here in Iowa, and it is important for me to give back in a way that helps young Iowans enjoy the game,” said Petersen.
Petersen discovered that the Des Moines Youth Hockey Association (DMYHA) hosted a weekly clinic for developing goalies. DMYHA leadership noted that the clinic’s costs had recently gone up, and they also shared Petersen’s concerns that those curious about the position might be scared away by gear prices.
“Some kids want to try playing goalie, but their families may not want to make the financial commitment right off the hop,” said Petersen.
Petersen decided to launch the “Goalies Give Back” initiative with two goals; to purchase new equipment for DMYHA to loan out to aspiring goalies, and to help cover the cost of clinics for the upcoming season.
Petersen’s outreach to Scheels netted a $2,500 donation, and Bauer, his equipment sponsor, agreed to contribute $2,000 worth of gear. In December, Petersen hosted a used equipment drive that enabled DMYHA to redistribute free gear to players who had aged out of their equipment. In January, Petersen contributed autographed memorabilia from goaltenders throughout the Minnesota Wild organization to an in-game auction that raised over $2,300.
Throughout the season, Petersen served as a guest instructor at the DMYHA clinic, surprised students at the team’s floor hockey visits, and participated in the “Wild About Reading” program. He also volunteered to visit children at Blank Children’s Hospital and took time out of his postgame routine to give young fans tips on goalie training.
“All these kids that are from Iowa look up to him,” said Richard Bachman, Iowa Wild Goaltending Coach. “They see what he has done and that he is still pursuing playing in the NHL. It is cool to see someone in your backyard lead the way.”
Bachman, whose children play for DMYHA teams, has had a front row seat to the association’s efforts to recruit and develop young goalies.
“The Des Moines Youth Hockey Association has put an emphasis over the last couple years on trying to get more kids involved in playing goalie,” said Bachman. “It has been almost a perfect storm to have Cal come in and create excitement and buzz around the position.”
“Goalies Give Back” culminated with a free clinic at Casey’s Center on Mar. 30, during which Petersen and teammates instructed DMYHA goaltenders and hosted an all-goalie game.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the skill level and engagement of the goalies,” said Petersen. “While Iowa may not seem like a hockey hotbed, there is a great foundation for hockey to thrive.”
With help from Scheels, Bauer, and Iowa Wild fans, Petersen donated $5,259 of new equipment to DMYHA along with an additional $7,600 toward the cost of goalie clinics during the 2026-27 season.
“We can't thank Cal and the Iowa Wild enough for this,” said Scott Jobgen, Des Moines Youth Hockey Association Coaching Director. “We want to grow the sport of hockey, but you can’t do that without goalies. This donation will allow us to help kids try the position and build development opportunities right here in Des Moines.”
“When I was a kid, my first goalie coach was a book I got out of the library,” said Jobgen. “Most communities don’t get the opportunity to work with AHL players and coaches. There are 47 registered goalies in DMYHA, and 33 attended this clinic, which speaks to the impact Cal has had across our organization.”
Petersen’s status as a role model for aspiring hockey players has not been lost on the native Iowan.
“I want to show kids that I skated in the same rinks they did and played for the same teams they did, and I was able to chase my dreams playing hockey,” said Petersen. “I was fortunate to get a lot of great coaching growing up, so being able to pass on some of that knowledge is the whole goal.”
“Maybe there’s a kid out there who wanted to play goalie, but never had the chance,” said Bachman. “You never know. There’s a lot of goalies who play in the NHL who didn’t have a background in hockey. They picked it up, and the rest is history. I hope we see that from the kids here in Des Moines.”
Petersen is now one of 32 finalists for the AHL’s 2025-26 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League at a later date.
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