MAYHEW CHASING IOWA’S ALL-TIME POINT RECORD
Jan 14, 2026On Saturday, Jan. 10, Gerry Mayhew scored 9:06 into the third period to help jump start a three-goal comeback that would help the Iowa Wild force overtime against the Tucson Roadrunners. The goal marked the 175th time Mayhew found the back of the net in his AHL career and 109th goal in an Iowa uniform.
Mayhew’s team-leading 20th point of the season also put him in sole possession of second place all-time among Iowa players in points (198). Heading into Iowa’s weekend series against the Toronto Marlies, Mayhew needs just two points to pass Kyle Rau as the team’s all-time points leader. With Mayhew approaching the milestone, he and former members of the Iowa Wild sat down to reflect on his journey.
POINT NO. 1
Gerry joined the Iowa Wild late in the 2016-17 season following a prolific college career with Ferris State. The first impression he left on his teammates was, for better or worse, unforgettable.
“I'll never forget his first shift of his first game,” said Zach Palmquist, who played with Mayhew from 2016-18.
“If I remember correctly, his first game was in the middle of a road trip and on his first shift he took a too many men penalty,” said Joe O’Donnell, Iowa’s former play-by-play announcer.
Joe O'Donnell served as Iowa's play-by-play announcer from 2013-21.
“I didn't know him very well, but I just felt so bad for the new guy,” said Palmquist. “He went right to the box, didn't even get to have a first shift.”
Despite the rocky start, there were signs that Mayhew would get his skates back under himself quickly.
“I remember helping the equipment guys unpack his gear,” said O’Donnell. "He had ‘Gerry Time’ printed on the name bar of his sticks. You knew he had a little moxie and a little swagger to his game.”
"I'm sure the older guys gave him a hard time for that, but you know what? He proved to us pretty quickly that he was Gerry Time,” said Palmquist.
Gerry Mayhew and Zach Palmquist look to score against the Chicago Wolves.
Palmquist picked up the primary assist on Mayhew’s first AHL point, a power-play goal against the Milwaukee Admirals on Mar. 18, 2017, that Mayhew remembers well.
“It was a St. Patrick's Day game. We had green specialty jerseys on,” said Mayhew. “I came off the bench and went to the net front. The shot was tipped on goal and it was just laying there and I tapped it in.”
THE EARLY YEARS
Mayhew entered the American Hockey League as a 24-year-old with plenty to learn about the professional game.
"They called me a little water bug,” said Mayhew. “I was faster then, and all over the puck.”
“I was definitely adapting to the game. Each level you go up, it's different, faster, and stronger with better players.”
Over the course of his early seasons, Mayhew developed into a dependable scorer with a nose for the net. Away from the rink, he and his teammates maintained the typical habits of men in their early 20s.
“We were addicted to Fortnite,” said Palmquist. “We would go to practice, get our workouts in, and then it would be a race to see who could get online first to play all afternoon. That was one big thing me and Gerry did away from the rink to keep our minds off hockey.”
“I’m sure our coaches wouldn’t want to hear it, but there would be times when we would have a day off the next day, and we’d play until two, three, or four in the morning."
Chemistry on the ice translated into an unforgettable videogame partnership for Mayhew and Palmquist.
With nearly a decade in the rearview mirror since his professional debut, Mayhew's life and habits have changed.
“I try to get better sleep now,” said Mayhew. “I have a two-year-old at home, so that has gone down a little.”
“There’s some more stretching before the game, too. When you're 24, you can just show up to the rink and you're good to go. Other than that, I just try to continue to do the same things that I did then, or as close as I can get.”
POINT NO. 100
Mayhew recorded his 100th point in an Iowa uniform on Oct. 4, 2019, in the season opener against the Rockford IceHogs.
“I don’t remember that one,” said Mayhew.
While Mayhew doesn’t recall that contest, he distinctly remembers his NHL debut, which came 11 days later with the Minnesota Wild.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Mayhew. “At Toronto, Original Six team. It helped that I was a little older when I made my debut. I might have been on the fourth line that game, so I didn't get that much ice time.”
Mayhew made the most of his opportunity, which came in front of nearly 50 family members and friends who had made the trip from Michigan to Toronto.
“My first NHL goal, I do remember,” said Mayhew. “We were down 4-1, kind of a graveyard shift with three minutes left. The puck came from the point, and the goalie looked like he had it covered, but he didn't. I think Jordan Greenway kicked it over and knocked it loose. It came right to my stick, and I had a pretty easy goal to put in.”
Mayhew led Iowa with 39 goals in a shortened 2019-20 season.
The 2019-20 season proved to be a special, if not frustrating one, for Mayhew and his teammates. Mayhew recorded 61 points in 49 games for an Iowa team that appeared poised to make a deep run in pursuit of the Calder Cup.
“I'll always look back on it, and all the players who played would say the same thing,” said O’Donnell. “We’ll always wonder what would have happened if COVID didn’t end that season in March. That team was certainly a top five team, if not the best team, in the AHL.”
While the Wild never got a chance to see what might have been due to the suspension of the season, Mayhew was left with the consolation of winning the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s Most Valuable Player.
THE RETURN
The 2025-26 season began with Mayhew on the sidelines as a free agent.
"There was a point where I called my agent and asked if he could see if Iowa needed a player,” said Mayhew. “He called me back an hour later and said we had something going.”
Mayhew signed a one-year, one-way AHL contract on Oct. 17, packed his bags, and jumped into his car for a familiar trip.
"It was pretty surreal driving back into Des Moines,” said Mayhew. “It felt like forever, but it felt like yesterday at the same time.”
Mayhew picked up where he left off and scored in his first game back with Iowa.
"It gets the pressure off your shoulders,” said Mayhew. "When you miss camp, it's tough because you're not as conditioned. Once that first one went in, though, I felt like I was back into it right away.”
Over the course of his first 31 games, Mayhew leads the team in points and never takes a day for granted.
“I’m just happy to be back playing the game I love,” said Mayhew.
POINT NO. 200
Iowa’s current all-time point leader, Kyle Rau, knows how difficult it is to record nearly 200 points with the same team.
“It's definitely a hard league,” said Rau, who currently plays in the National League (Switzerland). “Everyone there is working hard and trying to make their way to play in the NHL.”
According to Rau, there are no easy nights in the AHL; the travel is difficult, the schedule is busy, and rosters change in the blink of an eye as NHL teams recall and reassign players.
“You have to stay consistent, keep your energy, and take advantage of the chances you get because you don't know when the next one will come,” said Rau.
Rau, who spent five seasons in the Wild organization, credits Mayhew’s scoring to a special blend of instinct, preparation, and skill.
“He goes to the right areas,” said Rau. “He's really good at timing. You’d see him score a goal and wonder how he got so open in that area. It really came down to how well he sees the ice and his instincts.”
Mayhew, who has traditionally posted more goals than assists, says he has worked on finding the right areas of the ice since he was little.
"I have buddies who call me the puck magnet,” said Mayhew “The puck just always finds my stick in good spots. I can set up people, but I think I'm overall just a natural scorer."
Mayhew and Rau played together on a prolific power play unit.
Rau says he’ll be happy to see his record fall to his former teammate.
"It was fun playing with him,” said Rau. “We were on a power play unit together that scored nearly 30% of the time. We saw the ice the same way and knew we had a good chance of scoring every time we went out there.”
GERRY TIME
While Mayhew will never fully live down his first impression on his teammates, he will leave special memories for everyone in Iowa whenever he skates in his final game with the team.
“Ever since that first shift, he was always a goal scorer,” said Rau. “He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he just had a knack for scoring. It was an honor to play with him.”
“He probably scored a million goals while I was in Iowa. I was on a power play unit with him, but the only things I'll really remember are going to Chipotle with him after practice every day and his too many men on the ice penalty. It’s hilarious, but those are the things that really stick out.”
“I have three kids,” said Palmquist. “He has a kid now. I probably haven’t played Xbox in six or seven years now, but those are memories that Gerry and I talk about all the time.”
“Those were just some great memories that we had away from the rink that we really bonded over, getting those Victory Royales.”
“He’ll go down as one of the best players in Iowa Wild history,” said O’Donnell. “I'm thrilled for him and thrilled for the organization that he’s back in Iowa.”
“Gerry is one-of-a-kind. His teammates love playing with him and busting his chops. He was always positive from a locker room standpoint, and in a big moment, you knew he was the guy you wanted on your side.”