The Stars were founded by Howard Baldwin, of Hockey Holdings & Management Group, and Dallas businessman Bob Schlegel, who took the dormant
Louisville Panthers AHL franchise and resurrected it for the 2005–06 season as the
Iowa Stars (the same name as
an earlier team in 1969–70 in the
Central Hockey League). They had a five-year affiliation agreement with the
Dallas Stars and a one-year agreement with the
Anaheim Ducks. In their inaugural season, the Stars made it to the Calder Cup playoffs first round, where they were defeated by the
Milwaukee Admirals. The Stars won their first playoff series the following season, defeating the
Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in six games. In February 2008, the Dallas Stars announced they would be affiliating with the future
Texas Stars pending the 2009 completion of the
Cedar Park Entertainment Center in
Cedar Park, Texas. After the
2007–08 AHL season, the Dallas Stars left the Iowa scene, and the Anaheim Ducks announced an affiliation with the team. On July 9, 2008, the team unveiled its new name and logo, featuring a "vicious boar’s head in the team colors of crimson, grey and black".
Portland Pirates assistant
Gord Dineen was named head coach of the Iowa Chops on August 19, 2008. On May 9, 2009, the Anaheim Ducks dropped their affiliation with the Chops, leaving Iowa to look for their third NHL affiliate in four seasons. On July 7, 2009, the Iowa Chops franchise was suspended by the AHL's board of governors for the
2009-10 AHL season for being "unable to remedy certain violations of the provisions of the league’s Constitution and By-Laws." While the AHL declined further comment on the reasons for the suspension, the
Des Moines Register reported in June, 2009, that the Chops had violated league rules by pledging the team as collateral for a $1.99 million loan from
Wachovia. The
Register also reported that the Ducks had dropped their affiliation with the Chops after the Chops missed payments on their affiliation contract. After several months of speculation as to their future, the AHL announced on May 4, 2010, that the
Texas Stars had acquired the Chops franchise. This transaction finalized the Stars' contractual obligation to acquire a permanent franchise in the league, as they operated in 2009–10 as an expansion team under a provisional agreement to obtain an existing franchise license. ==Season-by-season results==