HOW GARRETT CECERE'S HOCKEY JOURNEY LED HIM TO THE BROADCAST BOOTH

Apr 1, 2025

For Garrett Cecere, it took seven or eight games of color commentary during Iowa Wild games for things to finally click.  

“The challenges are different than when you’re playing,” said Cecere “You don't want to repeat yourself, drop a swear word, or take away the thunder that Ben (Gislason) has when play is in the offensive zone and there's a goal about to be scored.” 

While there was an initial learning curve for the Des Moines native in the broadcast booth, he has been able to draw from a lifetime of hockey experience throughout the season. 

"Simply playing the game doesn’t make you a natural in an analyst position,” Gislason said. “He was such a cerebral player. I thought that would translate well to the booth and it has.” 

Cecere, whose father played for the Fresno Falcons, was born in San Francisco and moved to Des Moines in 1996 when he was a year old. He and his brother, Nick, started skating at three years old and played baseball in the summers. 

“Once the Iowa Stars came here, hockey got a lot bigger,” said Cecere. “I had a love for hockey and wanted to pursue it.” 

Despite a growth in opportunities for young hockey players in Iowa in the mid-2000s, high-level competition was still hard to come by. In the summer, Cecere would play on select teams with hockey players his age from Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Omaha, and Kansas City that competed against teams from Chicago and Minnesota.  

“We never had prep or AAA hockey here when I was growing up,” said Cecere. “The Wild started so many things with their youth programs. Guys who played for the Wild or Des Moine Buccaneers started to live here as adults. The RecPlex is such a huge place for hockey now and a place for kids to go, so that's big for development and big for AAA hockey.” 

Cecere took a leap at age 14 and went to Shattuck St. Mary’s, a Minnesota boarding school known for its prep hockey and production of future NHL stars like Sidney Crosby. During the 2011-12 season, Cecere made the jump to the NAHL, where he played against his future broadcasting partner with the Janesville Jets. 

"Garrett and I actually played against each other in the NAHL,” said Gislason. “He roomed in junior with the best man at my wedding, so we have a lot of connections... he was a very talented defenseman.” 

Cecere moved on to the USHL, where he played close to home as a member of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Tri-City Storm, and Sioux Falls Stampede. 

“I got to play against the Buccaneers so many times,” said Cecere. “Playing in cities like Omaha, Tri-City, Sioux Falls, and Des Moines in juniors was really cool. Scoring goals in front of 30 or 40 family and friends who came to see a play when you're 17 or 18 years old makes you feel like you're in the pros when you're still a kid.” 

During Cecere’s USHL career, professional hockey was reintroduced to Des Moines. The Iowa Wild kicked off their inaugural season while Cecere played for the Tri-City Storm in Kearney, Nebraska. 

“Having pro hockey in Des Moines allowed me and other youth hockey players to gain an affiliation in the NHL and call a team ours,” said Cecere. “With Minnesota so close, it was so cool to follow all the guys who were up with the big club. I was 18 and about to start my college hockey career when the Wild came to Des Moines and being able to watch them gave me more determination to play the game at the professional level.” 

Eventually, Cecere’s hockey journey took him away from the Midwest to Colorado College and Northeastern University. 

“I was a little bit of a fish out of water,” said Cecere. “I always had to get over a little bit of a stereotype in that I wasn’t a farmer or a wrestler.”  

Cecere played four seasons of NCAA hockey before spending another four seasons in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners, Reading Royals, and Tulsa Oilers. Following his professional career, he returned to his native Des Moines with hopes of staying involved in hockey.  

“It’s a funny story how this all came to be,” Gislason said. “The Iowa Wild had yet to have an analyst with local ties and pro experience on our broadcast. It was my wife, actually, who brought up his name. Once his name came up, it just made perfect sense.” 

"I've been fortunate to know Ben for so long having played against him in juniors,” said Cecere. “Getting the opportunity to come and use my hockey knowledge on the broadcast set has been really fun.” 

Cecere and Gislason now watch games from a different perspective than their playing careers. Located high above the ice, they are still able to play off each other and leverage their on-ice experience to connect fans to the emotions of the game. 

"It's really easy to feed off with Ben as he's such a knowledgeable mind of the game,” said Cecere. “I try to bring an aspect of having been in in these intense games and in front of these big crowds.” 

With a season of calling games under his belt, Cecere says he feels more comfortable in the broadcast booth and that the experience has changed how he watches sports in his spare time. 

“I’m able to watch sports from a different perspective now,” said Cecere. “When I’m watching games, there’s this new aspect of listening to the broadcast instead of just watching. It's brought new challenges, new excitements, and new learning opportunities for me.”