HARDER, MCLEOD JOIN MINNESOTA HOCKEY OPERATIONS STAFF
Jul 12, 2022SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has named Matt Harder Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Cody McLeod Player Development Coach.
Harder joins Minnesota after spending last season as the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Iowa Wild. The International Falls, Minn., native served as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach/Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21. Before joining the Coyotes, he was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) for four seasons (2016-20). Harder served as Head Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) in 2015-16. He attended the University of North Dakota and graduated with a bachelor’s in Athletic Training and Exercise Science in 2013 and a master’s in Kinesiology in 2015. Harder is a certified athletic trainer and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He and his wife, Brittany, have a son, Niall, and a daughter, Anna.
McLeod joins the Wild after playing 17 years of professional hockey. The undrafted forward collected 127 points (72-55=127), 1,630 penalty minutes (PIM) and 1,914 hits in 776 games during 12 seasons in the NHL with Colorado (2007-17), Nashville (2017-18, 2019) and the New York Rangers (2018-19). The native of Binscarth, Manitoba, added four points (3-1=4) in 38 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. McLeod also recorded 60 points (31-29=60) and 643 PIM in 243 career games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Lowell (2005-06), Albany (2006-07), Lake Erie (2007-08) and the Iowa Wild (2019-22). He served as team captain last season and recorded eight points (4-4=8) and ranked T-2nd in the AHL with 141 PIM. McLeod also played in 16 games with the San Diego Gulls in the ECHL (2005-06), one game with the Adirondack Frostbite in the UHL (2004-05) and four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (2001-05). He and his wife, Jessica, have two daughters, Peyton and Emma.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at 515-564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com. The 2022-23 season marks the 10th anniversary of Iowa Wild hockey. Fans can purchase season tickets for the 10th anniversary season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365.
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