Reinforcements Are Arriving Right On Time For the Red-Hot Iowa Wild

Things down in Des Moines looked ugly earlier this year. 

The Iowa Wild's start to the season was less than ideal. They were 0-6-1, and their top prospects were floundering. That was surprising, given that they hired Brett McLean in the offseason and had some veteran additions mixed in with the youth. It looked like Iowa had set this team up to succeed, but that has not been the case. It’s been a rocky season. 

Until recently, when Iowa has started to gain some traction. 

They were on a three-game skid in the middle of February, and Jesper Wallstedt hadn't been consistent all season. Things looked gloomy. Then, a 14-save third period sparked Iowa in a 3-2 overtime win over the Grand Rapids Griffins. Suddenly, the Wild are back.

Iowa has continued to be clutch and won four in a row. Three of their four wins have come in overtime. 

The Wild are only six points out of a playoff spot. They have many games against the Rockford Ice Hogs, which has the final playoff spot, and the Central Division coming up. They have an opportunity to climb the standings and earn meaningful points.

Iowa lost Daemon Hunt, their best defender and leader, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the David Jiricek trade. Devin Shore has only played 14 games for the Iowa Wild and was supposed to be a team leader, but he’s spent most of his time with the big club. Brendan Gaunce has been their leading goal scorer until his call-up.

However, Minnesota has offered Iowa reinforcements by sending Marat Khusnudinov and Liam Ohgren down. 

Marat Khusnutdinov will debut with the Iowa Wild, and it should be a solid reset for him, allowing him to find his offense. Khusnutdinov is fast and has elite hands, which should allow him to score in the AHL. Look for him to get power play and penalty kill time and lead this team in minutes as an all-situations star. 

Ohgren has dominated in Des Moines this year. He’s a welcome addition to a team that struggles to score goals. Ohgren scored 23 points and 12 goals in 25 games in Iowa earlier this season.

Iowa has made more additions to the offense. The Wild sent Joseph Cecconi to the Ontario Reign for forward Tyler Madden. Madden has 25 points in 47 games this season and can help the Wild in the middle six more than a defender helped their top six. 

Hunter Haight is also on a tear, with six points and four goals in the last three games. The rookie forward now leads the team with 18 goals and is second behind Travis Boyd with 31. His play has brought a spark of enthusiasm to the team and lifted them. 

Graeme Clark, 23, has also stepped up and was responsible for the most recent overtime winner. The Wild acquired him from the New Jersey Devils for Adam Beckman at the start of the year. Clark is fourth on the team in points with 27. 

On the blue line, David Spacek leads the defense with 23 points in 54 games. Carson Lambos has also chipped in with 25 points. Those two have been the only source of production on the back end, with Jiricek taking a more defensive role. 

The Iowa Wild have steam. They hold their fate in their own hands, and some highly skilled forwards are on their way to help get the team to the playoffs.