The Iowa Wild are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, based in Des Moines, Iowa, and playing at Wells Fargo Arena since the 2013-14 season [1]. The franchise was previously known as the Houston Aeros before the Minnesota Wild relocated the club to Iowa [2].
Design and History
The Iowa Wild unveiled their primary logo and home jersey on April 22, 2013, during a press conference announcing the team’s name and relocation [2][3]. The primary mark is a wordmark based on the script font found on both the Minnesota Wild and Houston Aeros third jerseys [2]. The logo and sweater chosen for the AHL affiliate were described as a variation of Minnesota’s alternate home jersey at the time [3].
In August 2013, the team unveiled its road jersey, which featured the alternate roundel logo on the front instead of the wordmark [4]. This roundel is a modified version of a logo the Minnesota Wild uses, with the words changed for Iowa [4]. The secondary roundel features the Minnesota Wild’s bear head logo inside a circle with “IOWA WILD” written between two shooting stars [5].
In 2015, the team introduced a red alternate jersey featuring the secondary logo on the front with “Iowa” above and “Wild” below [6]. The jersey included shades of dark green and “Wild wheat” on the sleeves and shoulders [6].
For the 2024-25 season, the Iowa Wild revealed the “Iowa Grown” alternate jersey featuring the State Crest logo on the chest, which was initially introduced on a specialty jersey during the 2022-23 season [7]. The State Crest blends the Minnesota Wild logo, a state outline of Iowa, and elements of the Des Moines skyline [7]. The jersey also includes a hockey-playing goldfinch, Iowa’s state bird, on the shoulders [7].
Meaning and Symbolism
The team’s visual identity is directly tied to its NHL parent club. The primary wordmark is based on the script font used by the Minnesota Wild, and the secondary roundel adapts the Minnesota Wild’s bear head logo with Iowa-specific text [2][5]. The State Crest logo introduced later explicitly combines the Minnesota Wild logo with the state outline of Iowa and the Des Moines skyline, reflecting the team’s dual identity as both an affiliate and Iowa’s team [7].
Typography and Design
The primary Iowa Wild logo is a script-style wordmark, with the “D” in “Wild” extending to form a ribbon on which “Iowa” is placed [2]. The design is based on the script font found on both the Minnesota Wild and Houston Aeros third jerseys [2]. The team’s official colors include forest green, Iron Range red, harvest gold, Minnesota wheat, and white [8].
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