The Iowa Wild and San Diego Gulls are getting themselves into trouble, and only they can get themselves out of it.
Wednesday night is the first chance to do so when they meet in San Diego, both of whom badly need to accumulate points if their second half will see them in the playoff race.
2025 Iowa Wild vs San Diego Gulls
San Diego (9-18-3-2) opened this week with seven points in the Pacific Division. After picking up five points in early December, the Gulls went 1-6-2-0, putting their season in jeopardy. For a team that worked to sign several AHL veterans this past offseason after missing the Calder Cup Playoffs the past two seasons, there is a real need to stay in postseason contention and avoid a tight end. Last season they missed the cutoff hockey by 16 points, which means they missed a lot of opportunities to play hockey at a high level, in which they must win even in the postseason.
And for the Wild (11-18-2-0), they are in sixth place in the Central Division and eight points behind the Rockford IceHogs for the closest available playoff spot. They, too, need to stay in the hunt for the finals. Aside from a first-round loss in 2023, Iowa has only managed to get one in one season, and that was nearly six years ago. Like the Gulls and Anaheim Ducks, the Minnesota Wild worked hard over the summer and brought in several quality veterans to stock Iowa’s roster. But after a three-game winning streak that began in December, Iowa went just 2-7-1-0.
But both teams had to make a comeback after last-minute injuries to key goals. The Gulls hope Tomas Suchanek’s torn ACL last September has ruled him out for six to eight months. Anaheim had to replace Suchanek with Oskar Dansk. For Iowa, an ACL injury ruled out offseason signing Troy Grosenick. Iowa continued to add Dylan Ferguson, who went on to receive a two-way contract with Minnesota that he signed on Tuesday. Ferguson, 26, just returned last week from the Spengler Cup, where he was named to Team Canada.
Iowa also got help Tuesday when Minnesota returned forwards Travis Boyd and Brendan Gaunce, the team’s lone scorers, and defenseman Carson Lambos. Iowa’s other first-year pitcher is Liam Öhgren, a 2022 first-round pick who is 10-6-16 in 21 games.
For the Gulls, the tournament begins with five games in a row at the Pechanga Arena. It’s not particularly easy, either. After the Iowa meet comes a Friday-Saturday matchup with the Tucson Roadrunners. Then the Wild returns next Wednesday, Jan. 15 before the league’s first club, the Calgary Wranglers, visited San Diego on Jan. 18.
Fortunately for the Gulls, however, some of their Pacific Division counterparts have run into trouble recently. Sitting in seventh place just above the cutoff in the Pacific division are the Abbotsford Canucks, who are on a 0-5-1-0 slide and have lost goaltender Artūrs Šilovs and forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki to the Vancouver Canucks recall. Another standout has been Sam Colangelo, who has 13 goals in 24 games, leading among AHL rookies.
The Wild are on their second road trip through California this season, a four-game road trip. Between the two contests in San Diego, they will have one game this weekend in Ontario. After this West Coast trip, the Wild will be at home for eight straight games heading into the AHL All-Star break.
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