Heartlanders Open Season 4 At Xtream Arena Friday

Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Heartlanders open the 2024-25 regular season against the Fort Wayne Komets Friday at 7:00 p.m. to kick off Open Season Weekend. The Heartlanders will play the Komets again on Saturday, Oct. 19th to complete opening weekend. Saturday’s game will feature a free pregame tailgate from 3:00-5:00 p.m. and an LED light up rally towel giveaway.

Promotion: Open Season Weekend

Tickets to Heartlanders Home Games

Know Before You Go Guide

Game Day Guide
6:00 PM: Doors Open
6:50 PM: Be in your seats
7:00 PM: Puck Drop

Need To Know:
- The Heartlanders have not faced the Komets since January 7th last season. The Heartlanders won, 3-2.
- Derek Damon is entering his third year behind the bench as Head Coach and his fourth season in Iowa after serving as assistant coach during the team's inaugural season. He will be accompanied behind the bench by Assistant Coach Kevin Schmidt and returning video coach/hockey ops director Eric Michaud.
- The Heartlanders all-time record against the Komets is 10-11-1-1. Iowa has won five home games and five road games ever against Fort Wayne.

Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Fort Wayne Komets (Edmonton Oilers/Bakersfield Condors)

Scouting the Heartlanders
Fan favorites Yuki Miura and Nico Blachman return this season. Miura scored 32 points in 72 games with the Heartlanders last season. This will be his fourth year with the team, making him the only player in team history to skate in every Heartlanders season. Blachman came to Iowa late in the season, earning 69 PIM in 13 games with the team. Last year in the ECHL he had 188 PIM in 45 total games played. 

The Heartlanders have some new faces in net, including 2023 Memorial Cup Champion and last year’s CHL Goaltender of the Year, William Rousseau. Rousseau had a .924 save percentage across 50 games played for Rouyn-Noranda in the QMJHL last season. Iowa has bolstered their blue line, adding seven new defensemen, including Latvian Bogdans Hodass who scored 28 points in 65 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. 

Scouting Fort Wayne
The Komets are looking to return to the postseason after missing the 2023-24 Kelly Cup Playoffs by three points. They have only missed the postseason twice since joining the ECHL.

Head Coach Jesse Kallechy is entering his second year with the Komets. Before that, he spent three years as Assistant Coach with the Florida Everblades, including the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons where the team went on to win back-to-back championships. Last season, Fort Wayne went 35-30-3-4 netting them 77 points and fifth in the Central Division. The top four teams in each division make the Kelly Cup Playoffs. 

Fort Wayne added a few notable players this offseason including ECHL All-Star defenseman Kyle Mayhew, tough forward Yanick Turcotte, and former Heartlanders forward Odeen Tufto. 

Open Season Weekend Oct. 19: Be there Sat., Oct. 19^th at 6:00 p.m. for the conclusion of Open Season Weekend, against Fort Wayne Komets, pres. by GreenState Credit Union. The first pregame tailgate of the season starts at 3:00 p.m. in the Iowa River Landing, featuring local food & drink vendors, inflatables, a DJ, and a meet the team event. Don’t miss the LED light-up rally towel giveaway!

You may have heard we made some big news in our final game of the 2023-24 season – our first-ever sellout in team history! That game featured a pre-game tailgate and fireworks (literally and figuratively) inside Xtream Arena, and we are going to recreate that high-energy, 5-star fan experience at 5 specific games during the 2024-25 season. Join the fun of those 5 experiences by purchasing our new 5-Star Ticket Package.

Single-game tickets, mini-plans, group tickets, flex tickets and season-ticket plans are available! Call 319-855-1775 to discuss options, or visit this link to make your plans for the 2024-25 season! 

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