Iowa’s McLean’s Learning Curve: Down on the Farm
For the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s American Hockey League club in Des Moines, Iowa, the 2023–24 AHL season heralded the start of the Brett McLean era. After serving as an assistant coach for Iowa (2017–20) and Minnesota (20–23) for the previous six seasons, 45-year-old McLean took over as head coach of the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Central Iowa, creating a buzz of enthusiasm and hope in the area.
The native of Comox, British Columbia, merited the chance to lead the team for the first time. Even though McLean had spent decades in and around the game, he still gained a lot of knowledge in his first season as head coach.
“Definitely a lot, to be sure,” the Iowa coach joked. Selecting just a few items is difficult. Obviously, in my opinion, one should just be modest. Being a coach requires a lot of humility because it’s a really demanding job. It’s an amazing role, yet it presents many difficulties.
McLean found that establishing a team identity and cohesion early on was crucial.
“I think a big one would be figuring out early in the season what kind of game you want your team to play and how you want them to act. That’s huge,” McLean said. Establish that benchmark, please. The team begins to focus on something during those initial weeks and becomes disciplined in that area. And that can then position you for success.
The Iowa bench boss remarked, “We had some real good moments this year at some real points.” Finding our guys to, in a sense, steer that ship took some time. We’ll try to identify that core and assess that early.
The Iowa Wild had several excellent hockey runs, but they were unable to earn a spot in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. After the team’s Nov. 11 victory in Chicago, which lifted them above.500, a five-game losing streak ensued, from which Iowa was never able to bounce back, finishing at 27-37-4-4.
While it was sad to miss the playoffs, Des Moines had plenty of positives. Prospect development in Minnesota was superbly handled by McLean and his team, beginning with goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and ending with defenseman Daemon Hunt’s outstanding play. Eleven skaters in total represented Iowa and Minnesota.
McLean said, “Obviously, you saw some great growth from a lot of players.” At the age of 21, Daemon Hunt has developed into a total stud in our league. For the past 15 to 20 games, Simon Johansson has performed admirably. Jesper has excelled all year long. Lately, Mikey Milne has really taken off.
The bench boss for Iowa said, “We had some real good moments this year at some real points.” It took some time to find our guys to sort of steer that ship. We’ll make an effort to locate that core and evaluate it quickly.
Despite a number of outstanding hockey runs, the Iowa Wild were not able to secure a position in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Following the team’s victory at Chicago on November 11, which propelled them above.500, they went on a five-game losing streak, from which Iowa was never able to recover, ultimately finishing at 27-37-4-4.
Simon Johansson, a defenseman, finished with 11 points in the remaining 23 games. If you closely examine the 23-year-old’s play from February 24 until the end of the season, you’ll see that he was a +3, while having a -20 rating for the entire season. Minnesota’s 2018 fifth-round pick (#148) collected 21 points and nine goals in 72 games with Iowa.
Predictably, highly sought-after goaltender prospect Jesper Wallstedt has advanced and is prepared to challenge for a position in Saint Paul. The 21-year-old’s 22 victories, two shutouts, and.910 save percentage were a career high. Following a difficult NHL debut, on April 7 at the United Center, he rebounded with his first career NHL win and shutout, recording 24 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Moving forward Owing to a preseason injury, Mikey Milne had a delayed season debut. After participating in 40 games for Iowa, the 2022 third-round selection (#89 overall) finished with 21 points from eight goals and thirteen assists. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound left wing scored five times and totaled 12 points in Iowa’s final 12 games.
With the team playing its best hockey of the season in the final two months, McLean had a longer list of players to mention. In the last 16 games, Iowa finished 7-6-1-2. Remember that, with teams in the AHL’s Central Division pushing for the playoffs, the intensity of the games had increased significantly in March and April. In the most difficult moment of the year, Iowa was over.500.
“It’s been incredibly amazing to witness,” grinned Coach McLean. We’ve been quite proud of our crew on a lot of occasions. This year has seen a dearth of victories. However, there have been many memorable instances in which we’ve had a difficult Friday or Saturday night and then won the game the next day thanks to an outstanding performance.
Having completed their first season and gained valuable knowledge, McLean and his Iowa staff will now focus on the upcoming offseason activities. The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada will host the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28 and 29. Thirteenth overall is Minnesota’s pick. After the draft, NHL free agency begins on July 1.
Having completed their first season and gained valuable knowledge, McLean and his Iowa staff will now focus on the upcoming offseason activities. The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada will host the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28 and 29. Thirteenth overall is Minnesota’s pick. After the draft, NHL free agency begins on July 1.