Down on the Farm: Taking Aim at the Iowa Wild Record Books

It would be difficult to find a player who has made a bigger impact on the Iowa Wild than Gerry Mayhew. His resolve, sustained scoring ability and his love for Des Moines will leave an impression well into the future.

After a four-year gap, Iowa’s all-time leading goal scorer has returned to where his pro career began.

He played for the club from 2016-2021 and left as one of the best. After stints on both coast and a few other stops along the way, the nine-year veteran found himself back in familiar territory.

Iowa and Mayhew landed in a mutually beneficial crossroads when October rolled around. The Wild were in the market for a veteran goal scorer and Mayhew was without a team.

“The season had started and I was literally on my couch,” explained the Wild forward. “I didn’t have anything and didn’t even go to a camp. I remember talking to my wife about going overseas to play.

“I knew they (the Wild) had room. On a whim, I asked my agent to call them. Not even a day later, they called and we got something done.”

It wasn’t until he was driving into the capital city when it truly hit him.

“I like Des Moines, I like it a lot. I just remember thinking, this is weird, but awesome,” joked Mayhew. “It was crazy driving in here. It was like I never left. It’s great being back.”

He was a welcome site for the Des Moines fans. He had a remarkable first run with the team and was a key component on some of the best teams to play in Iowa Wild history.

The forward combination of Mayhew, Sam Anas and Kyle Rau, along with defenseman Brennen Mennell, made for a nasty power play. In 2019-20, Mayhew set the Iowa team record for goals in a season with 39, this included a team record 10 game-winning tallies. The most impressive part of his goal scoring record is that he did it 49 games.

It was a monumental season for him. Mayhew was awarded the Les Cunningham Award (AHL MVP) and claimed the Willie Marshall Award (AHL goals leader). The Wild went 37-18-4-4 and were tied for second overall in the AHL
with 82 points.

The season came to a screeching halt with COVID. The 2019-20 AHL season was called without playoffs to determine a Calder Cup Champion. If there ever was an Iowa Wild team set to make a playoff run, the 2019-20 team
was the one.

“That was an unbelievable team,” recalled Mayhew. “I think we would have had a big run for sure. We had a great goalie and our defense was good. We just had a solid squad.”

The following year, COVID restricted the AHL to another shortened season, which saw Gerry post 18 points in 19 games for Iowa. After five seasons he was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract by Philadelphia Flyers the following summer.

After splitting time between Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, he was plucked off waivers by Anaheim and wrapped up his season on the west coast.

The next two years were spent in Charlotte, where Mayhew was among the team leaders in goals scored for the Checkers. It was in Charlotte in February of 2024 that Gerry and his wife Kendall, welcomed their first child, a girl named Margaret. Fatherhood has been a welcome life change that has been a wonderful journey.

“It’s been awesome”, said Mayhew. “It’s cool seeing her grow up so fast. Like one day she can’t talk, the next she’s talking in sentences. It’s not fun though, when I leave for the road she’s starting to kind of get sad. She was obsessed with mom for a long time, and she still is. But now she’s kind of more toward me. It’s just been great.”

One of his favorite things about being a dad is seeing his daughter during warm-ups at the games.

His affection for Des Moines and its fan base was a big factor in his decision to return to Iowa. One could argue that he has unfinished business as he makes a run at the Iowa Wild All-time record book.

As of early January, Mayhew is poised to catch Sam Anas for second on the all-time games played list. He is the only Wild skater to record 100 career goals, and he needs 11 assists to reach 100 for his Wild career.

With that comes the team’s All-time record for points. The Wyandotte, Michigan native is only three points from passing Anas for second and five points from overtaking Kyle Rau for the most points in team history. Not too shabby for a player that went undrafted.

When it is all said and done, expect to see Gerry Mayhew’s name at the top or near to top of most Iowa Wild all-time scoring records.

Having turned 33 over new year’s, the veteran forward is having fun playing hockey and not thinking too much about his future. Instead, Mayhew is enjoying his time at the rink and at home with his family, which they plan to expand sometime soon.