Heartlanders sign North Dakota graduate Hain to first professional contract

Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, announced forward Gavin Hain has come to terms on an ECHL contract with the Heartlanders for the 2023-24 season.Hain, a former 6th round NHL draft pick, joins Iowa after spending the last five seasons at North Dakota. He scored a career-best 11 goals and 18 points for the Fighting Hawks last season and served as Hawks assistant captain from 2021-23.

The Heartlanders open the regular season vs. Rapid City on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6:35 p.m. Season ticket memberships, mini-plans, partial plans, group tickets, flex vouchers and single-game tickets are available for the 2023-24 season by visiting iowaheartlanders.com/tickets and by calling 319-569-4625.
 

2023-24 Roster (players signed to ECHL contracts)
 

Forwards (14): Yuki Miura, Tanner MacMaster, Jesse Jacques, Mike Knaub, Davis Koch, Nick Campoli, Alec Broetzman, Odeen Tufto, Jake Durflinger, Liam Coughlin, Will Calverley, Austin Eastman, Justin Michaelian, Gavin Hain

Defensemen (8): Kevin McKernan, Chris Lipe, Nolan Orzeck, Ben Brinkman, Robbie Stucker, Hunter Lellig, Jules Boscq, Justin Wells

Goaltenders (2): Peyton Jones, Drew DeRidder

Head Coach & General Manager Derek Damon: “Gavin is a hard-working, skilled player that’s a great addition to our roster. He’s versatile, can play up the middle and has a strong pedigree coming from the University of North Dakota. It’s great we can add a player of his caliber two weeks before we open training camp.”

Need To KnowPhiladelphia selected the 6-foot, 193-lb, left-handed shot with the 174th overall pick at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. His selection came after he scored 15 goals (35 points) while competing for the United States National Team Development Program in 2017-18.The year before joining the NTDP, Hain captained Grand Rapids High School to the 2017 Minnesota Boys State High School Hockey Championship.Hain scored 31 goals and 55 points in 144 NCAA games from 2018-23 with North Dakota.Under the direction of Heartlanders Hockey LLC and new ownership of the team, the Heartlanders are looking forward to a successful 2023-24 season and expanding the team’ reach in eastern Iowa. To learn more about corporate partnership opportunities with the club and join the Heartlanders family, please call 319-569-4625 or email info@iowaheartlanders.com.