WILD ALL-STARS HELP WESTERN CONFERENCE TO SKILLS COMPETITION VICTORY

Jan 26, 2020

Iowa Wild forwards Sam Anas and Gerry Mayhew and defenseman Brennan Menell aided the Western Conference to an 18-15 victory against the Eastern Conference in the 2020 Skills Competition. It is the fourth victory in the past five Skills Competitions for the Western Conference.

Menell started the competition as a part of the Puck Control relay, battling Joey Keane of Hartford. Menell edged out his opponent by a fraction of a second, but the West fell to the East in his heat.

Mayhew then participated in the Fastest Skater, where he shined. He completed a lap around the rink in 13.866 seconds, which stood as the quickest player for the West. However, Belleville’s Alex Formenton won the event, clocking in at 13.356 seconds.

The next event was the Rapid Fire challenge, which featured both Anas and Menell. Anas was paired up with Texas’ Joel L’Esperance and the two netted two tallies, while Menell teamed up with Tyler Benson from Bakersfield and the duo scored five goals, the most of the event for either team.

The Wild did not field a skater in the Hardest Shot competition, which went to Ontario’s Martin Frk with a record 109.2 mph.

Following the Hardest Shot was the Shooting Accuracy contest and Mayhew represented the Wild for the event. He hit all four targets on seven shots, which was the second-best mark for the West and the third-best among all skaters. Anas served as a passer for the event, feeding all four Western Conference participants.

Anas was again up for the Pass and Score relay, participating in the final grouping for the West with Benson and San Jose’s Joachim Blichfeld. The trio scored one goal on Charlotte netminder Alex Nedeljkovic.

The final event of the night was the Breakaway Relay, in which all three Wild skaters took a turn. Menell was stopped by Toronto’s Kasimir Kaskisuo and Nedeljkovic stopped Mayhew, but Anas snapped a shot over the glove of Jonas Johansson of Rochester for a tally, one of six for the West.

The league’s mid-season showcase wraps up Monday night at 9:00 p.m. CT with the 2020 AHL All-Star Challenge, a round-robin tournament among the league’s four divisions played at 3-on-3. The All-Star Challenge will air live across the United States on NHL Network and across Canada on TSN2. The event can also be streamed live on AHLTV.

The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.