by Alec Lessner | AHL On The Beat
On January 23, the Iowa Wild will host the Milwaukee Admirals in the 13th outdoor game in American Hockey League history, at the United Heroes League complex in Hastings, Minn., as a part of Hockey Day Minnesota 2026.
Several members of the Wild roster were born in the State of Hockey, while others grew up on frozen ponds in Michigan and across Canada. The game will hold special significance for these players, and with just over a month until the event, some of them took time to reminisce about outdoor memories.
MATT KIERSTED – Elk River, Minn.
When did you start skating and playing hockey?
I started skating when I was 2 years old. My older brother played, so my younger brother and I followed in his footsteps. Neither of my parents were hockey players, but my dad got talked into letting my older brother play. Once he got into it, we all kind of followed from there.
What is your experience with outdoor games?
I’ve played in a couple outdoor games. I played in one a couple years ago in Charlotte. In high school, we played in Hockey Day Minnesota in Elk River.
When you were a kid, did you play outside after school?
We would get dropped off at Hanky Pit in Elk River. They have a couple outdoor rinks and a warming house and we’d spend hours playing. They’d turn the lights on at night when it got dark so we could stay out longer.
How did you stay warm?
Layers, lots of layers. The warming house had a fire pit in it, so you could go take a break in there for a little bit to get the feeling back in your fingers. But yeah, lots of layers, a couple sweatshirts at a time.
Many young hockey players in Minnesota aspire to play professionally. What is it like growing up and playing in that environment?
My dream growing up was to play college hockey. Once I got there, I just wanted to enjoy it and have fun with it, and it’s led to playing pro now. I grew up in a smaller town playing hockey with my buddies and grew up along the way. I got to meet new friends and new people and have fun the whole way through.
What are you looking forward to about this game?
Going back to Minnesota, a lot of my family will be there. A lot of people that haven’t seen me play in person in a long time will be able to make a short drive to do so. It’s not a very common thing to be able to play an outdoor game and this will be my third, so I’m fortunate for that.
What was your Hockey Day Minnesota experience like in high school?
It was super cool. It was my sophomore year, which was my first year on the varsity team, and it was in our hometown. It was unreal just to see all the support and all the people that came out and enjoyed it. There were games all day long.
Would you ever have imagined you’d be playing in another Hockey Day Minnesota again for the Wild organization?
Growing up you watch the Wild, you want to play there, but I never would have imagined that I’d be in this position. It’s kind of hard to wrap your head around, but super cool. I’m looking forward to it.
RYAN SANDELIN – Hermantown, Minn.
When did you start playing hockey?
I started playing when I was three years old. My dad coaches, so he rushed me out there as quickly as he could, and we never looked back.
Did you play outside growing up?
I played outside every day from when I was eight to when I graduated through high school. Our parents would drop our bags off at the outdoor rink and leave us 10 bucks. After school, we’d walk right across the street, put our gear on, and do our homework in the warming shack. We’d go home at 9:00 and pass out right away. That was the routine, five or six days a week, every day with your best friends.
How competitive was the youth hockey scene in Minnesota?
I think everybody has dreams of wanting to get out of high school and play college in Minnesota. The competition, whether it was AAA in the summer or just playing for your community growing up, was really fierce and pushed everybody to be better. That’s why there’s a ton of professional hockey players from Minnesota. The hockey culture in Minnesota is so strong because there’s so many kids that want to move on and be able to play college or professionally one day.
As a Minnesotan, what are you looking forward to about Hockey Day in Minnesota?
Being able to share with my teammates and my family. I was fortunate enough to play in it during my junior year of college. Being able to share that with my family was one of the most special days of my college career. Playing in Hastings in January with my family, friends, and teammates around will be special. It brings you back to the roots of why you started playing hockey and why you love the game.
As a kid, I got to help set up Hockey Day Minnesota, and at the time, you think that’s pretty cool. In college, you find out you actually get to play in like the marquee game. Now, I feel very fortunate and lucky to be in the right place at the right time, three separate times, because I know it’s such a big day for the entire state. I’m just very fortunate to be able to be a part of it three times, let alone one time, especially in my professional career.
BRADLEY MAREK – Big Rapids, Mich.
When did you start playing hockey?
I started playing hockey when I was three. I think a lot of us started around the same age. Whether it was parents, family, or friends, someone put us on the ice and there wasn’t much looking back after that.
What experiences have you had playing outdoors?
I was lucky enough to play outdoors at Comerica Park in Detroit when I was 12 or 13. We were also fortunate to have a pond in our backyard that we would turn into a hockey rink every winter. It was a great experience being out there for countless hours with family and friends. My dad was a firefighter, so he’d bring the fire hose, and we’d resurface the ice that way.
How late would you stay out on the pond?
Oh man, we had floodlights on the pond, so we’d be out there for hours and hours if we didn’t have school.
How did you stay warm?
That’s a good question. Bundle up. You’re skating so much out there, so you’re usually sweating and taking off stuff. If you get cold, you put a sweatshirt back on, but if you’re playing goalie, you might heat up really quick and take the layers off.
Minnesota and Michigan are competitive hockey hotbeds. What was it like playing in that environment?
From a young age, people are moving away at 12 or 13 years old to live with different families. It’s definitely a very competitive environment all the way up until 16 or 17 when kids are moving out and going and playing juniors.
Does Michigan have anything like Hockey Day Minnesota?
No, not really. I think that’s why I’m so excited to be able to be a part of this and be with this organization. Getting to participate in something like this is a blessing.
WYATT NEWPOWER – Hugo, Minn.
When did you start skating?
My dad had a rink in the backyard where I grew up. I have four siblings, three of whom played as well. My dad and uncles played hockey, so hockey was definitely in the family. We learned to skate in the backyard and my grandparents lived on a lake, so we would skate there as well.
How many times have you played in outdoor games?
Besides the ponds and lakes, there were outdoor rinks everywhere, so you’d meet there with friends all the time. My first outdoor hockey game was in high school. I played for White Bear Lake, and we played at the University of Minnesota football stadium. In college, I went to the University of Connecticut and we played at Fenway Park in Boston.
How late would you stay out on the lake?
If you were fortunate enough to have lights, you’d go as long as you’re allowed to until you’re yelled at to come inside. But otherwise, if there were no lights, you played until you couldn’t see anymore.
How would you stay warm?
Most of the time you don’t. Things kind of just go numb after a while. Otherwise, you just have to keep moving, maybe wear a couple pairs of socks and some thin mittens or gloves under your hockey gloves. I don’t know if anybody is familiar with choppers. It’s like a leather mitten, almost. I’ve spent a lot of time outside of Minnesota, and not many people know about them. So maybe it’s a Minnesota thing, but choppers are what we’d wear.
With so many kids aspiring to play professional hockey, what is the competitive environment like?
I’ve spent so much time outside of Minnesota since I left for college, and nobody really understands that I only played for one organization my whole life until I got to college. I played for the White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association from the time I learned to play hockey until I graduated high school with the same age group of kids for our whole life. That’s very rare, and that’s what makes it so special in Minnesota, is the amount of pride you have in your town. It’s easy for me to say it’s the most competitive place to grow up playing hockey because I’m from there, but I think you can look at a lot of statistics for how many Minnesota players are represented in college and professional hockey. It speaks for itself.
What part of Hockey Day Minnesota are you most looking forward to?
I never got to be a part of Hockey Day Minnesota when I was in high school. It was still pretty new, but my team was never picked to play. To be able to play in it now, even though I’m not in high school, is still a childhood dream type of situation. I’m also looking forward to playing my first competitive hockey game in Minnesota since 2016, which was my senior year of high school. It’s close to my family, and that’ll be a lot of fun for them to come and watch it.
What does it feel like to play for the Minnesota Wild organization as someone from the State of Hockey?
I don’t know if I ever thought I would ever wear the Wild logo to begin with. Since I signed in the summer, it’s kind of been surreal to be a part of the organization. I grew up a fan, and my favorite players played for the Wild. To be able to wear the logo in general is a childhood dream for sure, and then to be able to play outside in Minnesota with the logo on is certainly something I never thought would happen. It’s tough to describe it. I know it means a lot to my parents for what they did for me growing up. Being able to take it back to playing outside while wearing the logo that all of us have loved for all these years will make it a pretty special day for everybody.
JACK PEART – Grand Rapids, Minn.
When did you start playing hockey?
I was three. My dad was a high school coach back in Grand Rapids, so I grew up around the rink with him. Both of my older sisters got into the game when I was young, so I got to skate with them when I was young.
What experiences have you had playing outdoors?
I’ve only played one real hockey game outside. In 2013, Hockey Day Minnesota came to Grand Rapids. I think I was a squirt. We got to play outside and it was so cool, so fun. In Grand Rapids there’s a lot of outdoor rinks that you just kind of go and play shinny with your buddies, so I’ve done quite a bit of that.
Did you play a lot of pond hockey growing up?
For the most part, I played on outdoor rinks. One of my best buddies had his own backyard rink that we would always skate on.
How would you stay warm?
You have to go into the warming shack. You take breaks, stay out as long as you think you can until you can’t really feel your toes anymore, and then go warm them up.
How will playing an outdoor professional game be different?
There will be more fans than there were back in squirts, which will be pretty cool.
Did you ever think you’d play in Hockey Day Minnesota for the Minnesota Wild?
After I left high school, I didn’t really think much about Hockey Day Minnesota. You don’t think you’ll get the chance to play in it anymore. It’s going to be awesome to put on an Iowa Wild sweater and go out there and compete.
