The Iowa Wild franchise began as the
Houston Aeros, a 1994 expansion team in the
International Hockey League (IHL) that played out of the
Compaq Center. The Aeros were one of six IHL teams to join the
American Hockey League (AHL) in 2001 when the IHL folded. Upon joining the AHL, the Aeros affiliated with the
National Hockey League's one-year-old expansion team, the
Minnesota Wild. The AHL version of the Aeros won the 2003
Calder Cup and also reached the 2011 Calder Cup finals, but lost to the
Binghamton Senators. In 2003, the majority ownership of the franchise was sold to Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group of the Wild, while former owner
Chuck Watson retained a 10% minority share along with Houston native Nick Sheppard holding a 4% share. The team then moved home games to the new
Toyota Center. On April 18, 2013, the Minnesota Wild announced that Minnesota Sports and Entertainment were unable to reach a lease agreement with the Toyota Center, and the Aeros would be relocated to
Des Moines, Iowa, beginning with the 2013–14 season with home games at
Wells Fargo Arena. The Iowa Wild inaugural season was opened on October 12 with a 1–0 win over the
Oklahoma City Barons. The opening night attendance was 10,200. The team failed to make the playoffs for its first five seasons. in 2024 On February 22, 2018, the Minnesota Wild extended their contract through 2023. In 2019, the team reached the playoffs for the first time since relocating from Houston, reaching the division finals and losing to the
Chicago Wolves in six games. The following
2019–20 season was then curtailed by the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic with the Wild holding second place in the division and no playoffs were held. The
2020–21 season was then delayed due to the pandemic, with a shortened season held and no
Calder Cup playoffs. ==Season-by-season results==