THE WILD WIRE - #3
Oct 22, 2019They just keep on rolling, don’t they?
Following a weekend sweep on the road in Manitoba, the Iowa Wild sit alone atop the AHL’s Western Conference with 11 points and a record of 5-0-0-1. Iowa is one of just 4 teams in the 31-team circuit without a regulation loss (Hartford, Toronto and Utica – all Eastern Conference clubs) and they currently boast the league’s third-ranked offense, averaging four goals per game.
Considering the fact the team played the weekend set without Gerry Mayhew (3g, 3a in four games), and played Saturday night’s contest without Gabriel Dumont (3g, 2a points in five games) and still managed to tally 10 total goals in Winnipeg, is pretty darn impressive.
The team’s seven-game road trip continues this weekend in Tucson, where the Roadrunners are off to a 4-1-0-0 start.
DUMONT UP / DEWAR IN
Saturday morning, center Gabriel Dumont was recalled to the Minnesota Wild. Dumont then made his Wild debut on Sunday, his 88th career NHL contest. He logged almost 12 minutes of ice time, which is a pretty good indication he played well in his team debut.
Dumont’s absence from the Iowa lineup meant a chance for rookie Connor Dewar to make his pro debut on Saturday in the 4-2 win over the Moose.
Dewar, a third round pick in 2018, played center between wingers Cody McLeod and Mike Liambas. He was impressive in his debut, finishing with three shots on goal.
SAM STANDS ALONE
Sam Anas collected a power-play goal early in Saturday’s win, which gave him his 133rd career point in a Wild sweater. That allowed him to surpass Zack Mitchell for the most in franchise history.
Anas, who recently played in his 200th game with the club, finished with three points on the night (2g, 1a) and now has 135 points in his Wild tenure.
Mitchell, by the way, is currently playing in Russia’s KHL. Last year, he skated for the Ontario Reign (AHL).
And just to make you a touch more Iowa Wild savvy today…only Mitchell, Anas, Tyler Graovac, Zach Palmquist, Kurtis Gabriel and current Wild forward Colton Beck have played in more than 200 career games with Iowa.
And, only Mitchell, Graovac, Mayhew, Anas, current winger Kyle Rau and former captain Cal O’Reilly have racked up more than 100 career points. Beck sits at 97 points.
HOCKEY GONE WILD – TOMORROW
Jacob Born and I will host our first episode of “Hockey Gone Wild” of this new season tonight at 7:00 p.m. Please tune in on 1460 KXNO or via iHeartRadio. We hope to have Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in studio, as well as an interview with former Iowa defenseman Carson Soucy, who’s currently playing for Minnesota.
- Wild Joe Radio