Minnesota Wild's minor league system the envy of the NHL

[HF Article]

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Although many people in and around the world of hockey were negatively affected by the 2012 NHL lockout, the Minnesota Wild was no doubt one team that saw a silver lining. With a cluster of players around the same age needing a developmental year or three in the AHL, the lockout saved the team from hard personnel decisions while also giving these young players a great opportunity to learn to play the pro game together at a high level of competition.



While Mikael Granlund is a lead-pipe cinch to stick with the Wild now that the season is underway, there was some good learning and team-building going on down in Houston.… read more



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[geowild]

*
Although many people in and around the world of hockey were negatively affected by the 2012 NHL lockout, the Minnesota Wild was no doubt one team that saw a silver lining. With a cluster of players around the same age needing a developmental year or three in the AHL, the lockout saved the team from hard personnel decisions while also giving these young players a great opportunity to learn to play the pro game together at a high level of competition.



While Mikael Granlund is a lead-pipe cinch to stick with the Wild now that the season is underway, there was some good learning and team-building going on down in Houston.… read more



More...

And next year it might be in Des Moines or Duluth if the Aeros can't renew their lease in Houston. I can't bring myself to hope that Aeros fans lose their team, but if it happens anyway, I'd surely like the Wild's AHL team to be in daytrip range of the cities.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Where in the world would the Aeros play in Duluth?
Amsoil is already used by two College teams (UMD men and women) on the weekends, and it hosts highschool section tourneys too, and I really don't think the Aeros would spring to play at the DECC.

 

[Jarick]

Got a nice top line but the rest of the Aeros are pretty awful.

 

[geowild]

Where in the world would the Aeros play in Duluth?
Amsoil is already used by two College teams (UMD men and women) on the weekends, and it hosts highschool section tourneys too, and I really don't think the Aeros would spring to play at the DECC.

Yeah, I forgot about AHL concentration on weekends. Well, one can dream. . . Des Moines wouldn't be terrible. Does Rochester have a big enough barn?

 

[forthewild]

Rochester does not have a big enough barn tho there might be one they could upgrade to add more seating capacity to.

I don't see why we don't move them to Bloomington, it would be a stone throw form the air port, any time we're at home a call up could be a car ride away.

My personal favorite would be a relocation to Edina with them changing the team name to Cake Eaters

 

[geowild]

Rochester does not have a big enough barn tho there might be one they could upgrade to add more seating capacity to.

I don't see why we don't move them to Bloomington, it would be a stone throw form the air port, any time we're at home a call up could be a car ride away.

My personal favorite would be a relocation to Edina with them changing the team name to Cake Eaters

Let's flood that amusement park in the bottom of MoA and let 'em play there. . .

 

[forthewild]

Let's flood that amusement park in the bottom of MoA and let 'em play there. . .

careful now you might just give MoA an actual attraction...

 

[Nsjohnson]

careful now you might just give MoA an actual attraction...

Bahaha this. I would die if Houston moved to Bloomington. I live down France ave. about ten minutes from BIG.

 

[CaseyJones65]

And next year it might be in Des Moines or Duluth if the Aeros can't renew their lease in Houston. I can't bring myself to hope that Aeros fans lose their team, but if it happens anyway, I'd surely like the Wild's AHL team to be in daytrip range of the cities.

I won't lie - I'd be pretty pumped to have the Aeros in Iowa...

 

[geowild]

I won't lie - I'd be pretty pumped to have the Aeros in Iowa...

What's the facility like in Des Moines?

 

[CaseyJones65]

What's the facility like in Des Moines?

Not sure. Never been there... Des Moines is still a two hour drive (takes me 2.5 hours to get to MSP) so I rarely visit. Still, would be nice to have the Iowa connection... We do have some very good quality youth hockey here in Northeastern Iowa.

 

[bozak911]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_Arena_(Des_Moines)

Not bad, actually...

I think my company keeps a suite there, too.

Seats 15,181 for hockey.

Which is a few seats larger than the MTS Center: 15,004

 

[CaseyJones65]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_Arena_(Des_Moines)

Not bad, actually...

I think my company keeps a suite there, too.

Seats 15,181 for hockey.

Which is a few seats larger than the MTS Center: 15,004

I'll make it a point to visit for a game. We follow the USHL quite closely here in Iowa.

 

[PRo0902]

What's the facility like in Des Moines?

Wells Fargo Arena is actually a pretty nice facility. It was built relatively recently and it's the go-to building for concerts, state tourneys, etc. but it seems like they have struggled to find a permanent tenant. I went to school down there when the Iowa Stars were Dallas's AHL affiliate, and it was actually pretty nice place to watch a game. The problem is that there is little to no fan support down there. Des Moines is a football and basketball city that doesn't get in to hockey at all. They had the Stars for a bit, then the Iowa Chops (I believe an Anaheim affiliate), but they just didn't draw any crowds. The Des Moines Bucs of the USHL do pretty well, but they play in what would be a subpar HS arena in MN, and those games are more about cheap beer and a party atmosphere than the actual hockey.

I would love it if the Aeros were there since I really enjoy Des Moines and it would be fun to catch a game and spend a weekend down there, but unless Wild fans make a big difference, I'm not sure it's sustainable.

*Edit: The arena is also really nicely located -- just off of 235, a couple blocks from Court Avenue (the main bar/nightlife district downtown).

 

[geowild]

I don't know average Aeros attendance recently, but I saw an article from 2004 that said average attendance was around 5,400 at that time (in the hockey hotbed of Houston, of course).

Edit: Found it. For 2012-2013, averaging ~6.6k

 

[geowild]

Wells Fargo Arena is actually a pretty nice facility. It was built relatively recently and it's the go-to building for concerts, state tourneys, etc. but it seems like they have struggled to find a permanent tenant. I went to school down there when the Iowa Stars were Dallas's AHL affiliate, and it was actually pretty nice place to watch a game. The problem is that there is little to no fan support down there. Des Moines is a football and basketball city that doesn't get in to hockey at all. They had the Stars for a bit, then the Iowa Chops (I believe an Anaheim affiliate), but they just didn't draw any crowds. The Des Moines Bucs of the USHL do pretty well, but they play in what would be a subpar HS arena in MN, and those games are more about cheap beer and a party atmosphere than the actual hockey.

I would love it if the Aeros were there since I really enjoy Des Moines and it would be fun to catch a game and spend a weekend down there, but unless Wild fans make a big difference, I'm not sure it's sustainable.

*Edit: The arena is also really nicely located -- just off of 235, a couple blocks from Court Avenue (the main bar/nightlife district downtown).

Thanks for the report.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Houston is far, but the Wild like that they can get a flight to pretty much anywhere in the continent everyday.

Des Moines, not so much.