Down on the Farm: Challenge Accepted

“The more you challenge yourself, the more profound of an understanding you have of yourself.”

This quote belongs to new Iowa Wild Head Coach Greg
Cronin, and it could sum up the 2025-26 season for Iowa.

Philosophies like these are one of the many reasons why Cronin was hired in June as the sixth head coach of Minnesota’s American Hockey League AHL affiliate in Des Moines.

“That quote is exactly right,” said Iowa Wild General Manager Matt Hendricks. “I think he challenges his players. He challenges his staff. He even challenges me. He’s going to make me a better manager working with him and understanding, it’s because of that quote. He is challenging himself every day to help these guys get better and help us win hockey games.”

“You can paste quotes all you want in the locker rooms, but if you can live them and you can authentically represent that quote, to me, it creates more conviction on what you’re doing and what you’re teaching,” said Cronin. “There’s way more credibility to what you’re sharing, because you have lived it.

“A lot of people don’t like a hard challenge. They don’t want that mini journey. It can be painful and usually doesn’t have that immediate gratification.”

His resume speaks for itself with over 38 years of coaching experience, including the last two as the Head Coach of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Cronin’s Ducks went 62-87-15 (.424) in 164 games.

In year two of his tenure, the “rebuilding” Ducks improved by 21 points and reached the 80-point plateau, Anaheim’s most points in over a decade. Cronin helped the young Ducks improve greatly down the stretch.

After an unexpected dismissal from the Ducks, Cronin found himself reflecting on his coaching career in the aftermath. Like the quote, he was facing a challenge, and to move forward he would need to battle through.

He thought back to some old coaching techniques from his days in Bridgeport from 2003-05. During those days, the staff was much smaller. The head coach and assistant coach did a lot more back then from travel and per diem to hotels and buses. All this on top of their regular coaching duties.

“There was no compartmentalization of what was going on,” explained the Arlington, MA native. “I believe that’s the purest form of coaching. It’s not efficient in today’s world, but it’s all connected through communication. Back then, you were able to communicate, and in the absence of these other entities, you had to talk to the kids all the time.

“I do think that in the presence of analytics, development coaches, video coaches, strength conditioning coaches, sometimes even the coaches forget that they need to talk to the players more often.”

After spending the bulk of his life on the east coast and west coast, with stops in Toronto and Colorado, Cronin is looking forward to life in Iowa.

“I’ve been to Des Moines multiple times back when I was coaching in college, and they used to host the Buc bowl,” said the 63-year-old bench boss. “I’d be there for a week. It’s been a while, but even back then I can remember down-to-earth, authentic people.

“I’m interested and looking forward to what it’s like living there. Instead of in-and-out, it’s always a different vibe when you live somewhere.”

From Iowa to the State of Hockey, Wild fans are excited Greg Cronin has accepted the challenge of being Iowa’s next coach.

The Roster

“We went out after some big free agents this offseason,” explained Hendricks. “Veteran players like defensemen Matt Kiersted, Ben Gleason and Wyatt Newpower, to go along with forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel. They are going to be very big parts of our team. They all had tremendous camps.”

Forwards

Iowa’s forwards will receive great leadership from veterans Aube-Kubel and Ben Jones. Aube-Kubel has over 300 games of NHL experience under his belt, seeing time with six NHL clubs, including appearances last season with Buffalo and the N.Y. Rangers. Jones was among Iowa’s leaders last year with 13 goals and 36 points in 49 games played. He also made 26 appearances with Minnesota in 24-25.

In addition, rookie Riley Heidt peaked some interests after putting up some lofty numbers over the last few years in the WHL. Heidt posted 207 points over his last 126 WHL games for Prince George. Minnesota drafted the 5-foot-11 center in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft (#64 overall).

Fellow rookie Rasmus Kumpulainen, whom Minnesota drafted 11 spots earlier in 2023, is also expected to make an impact. The 20-year-old from Lahti, Finland had 16 points in 48 games for the Pelicans of the Finnish Elite League last season. As with any rookie, managing expectations is key.

“We need to stay patient with them,” said Hendricks. “There’s going to be a big learning curve to this game in comparison to junior hockey. This is a world of difference.”

Defense

For the first time in years, the Iowa Wild won’t have a defensive core composed of first-year or second-year players. The experience on the blueline should be noticeable.

Gleason and Kiersted will supply depth on the blueline to Minnesota, but also critical leadership from the back end. Kiersted, an Elk River, MN native, posted 29 points in 64 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last year. Gleason is a 27-year-old who played in 29 games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and collected 12 assists and 14 points.

They are joined by a few defenders who are close to making the jump to Minnesota. 2021 first-round pick Carson Lambos is set up for a big year, as well as 2022 fifth-round pick David Spacek. Lambos was a first-pairing defenseman most of the season last year, while Spacek quarterbacked the power play in Iowa. Jack Peart, a Grand Rapids, MN native and second-round pick in 2021, was strong down the stretch for Iowa last year and is expected to pick up where he left off.

Fellow defender Wyatt Newpower signed an AHL contract with Iowa over the summer. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder is a sixth-year veteran who played in 40 games for Bridgeport last year.

Goalies

For the first time in three seasons, the Iowa Wild will look to a goalie other than Jesper Wallstedt.

With his graduation to Saint Paul, it leaves the bulk of the crease work to Cal Peterson and Samuel Hlavaj this season. Peterson, a Waterloo, Iowa native, was signed as a free agent by Minnesota on July 2. The former fifth round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL Draft has played in 106 NHL games in parts of six seasons (2018-24) with Los Angeles and Philadelphia and has appeared in 215 games in the AHL with Lehigh Valley and Ontario (2017-25). Hlavaj played well in his first season in North America last season with Iowa going 14-14-3 with a 2.85 GAA and a .904 save percentage.

In addition, the two younger goalies are knocking on the door. Rouseau, an undrafted free agent signing, made three appearances for Iowa last year, going 1-1-1 with a .921 save percentage. He was stellar in Iowa City, going 17-7-5 for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders.

Mercer is another undrafted free agent goaltender that Minnesota signed this summer. The 21-year-old was exceptional in Drummondville (QMJHL), going 58-28-9 over the last two years, leading the Voltigeurs to the Presidents Cup and a trip to the Memorial Cup in 2025.