Friday’s Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic in Hastings, Minnesota will be the 13th outdoor game in AHL history. The Iowa Wild will take on the Milwaukee Admirals as part of the annual Hockey Day Minnesota festivities in Hastings, a city just southwest of the Twin Cities.
The live broadcast begins at 5:30 PM ET, exclusively on FloHockey and the FloHockey 24/7 FAST channel available on Prime Video (US only), Fubo (US and Canada) and Bell Fibe TV on channel 3201 (Canada only). FloHockey produces the broadcast.
2026 Milwaukee Admirals vs. Iowa Wild
Here’s a look at some notable moments from the AHL’s time in the great outdoors:
2010 – Going outside
The Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators meet in the AHL’s first outdoor game. A then-record crowd of 21,508 fans jammed at the New York State Fairgrounds to see a 2-1 win for the Crunch. Syracuse forward Alexandre Picard, a 2004 first-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets, records the first outside goal in AHL history.
2012 – A record audience
This time it’s a baseball stadium, the first venue in AHL outdoor game history, as the Adirondack Phantoms host the Hershey Bears at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The teams play in front of an AHL record crowd of 45,653 as the Phantoms earn a 4-3 overtime win over their old rival.
2012 – Canada’s turn
Just 15 days after the Bears-Phantoms game, the AHL will host its first outdoor game on Canadian ice. The Hamilton Bulldogs and Toronto Marlies meet in the Battle of Ontario at Ivor Wynne Stadium, then home of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Marlies come away with a 7-2 victory.
2013 – Off to Hershey
The AHL’s flagship franchise, the Hershey Bears, will get a chance to go back outside. This time it’s on home ice and just a short walk from the iconic Hersheypark Arena, home of the Bears from 1936 through 2001. In a battle of Pennsylvania rivals, the Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins meet at the football stadium, but the visitors win 2-1. Hersheypark Stadium will host another outdoor game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2018.
2013 – Two old AHL markets meet
Few cities have more AHL history than Cleveland and Rochester. The Rochester Americans host the Lake Erie Monsters at Frontier Field, home of Triple-A Baseball’s Rochester Red Wings. The hometown fans see a come-from-behind 5-4 shootout victory for the Amerks.
2015 – Westward
In a pivotal year for the AHL, the league placed five teams on the West Coast, dramatically reshaping the league map. That decision has led to significant growth, and the Pacific Division now has ten teams. To celebrate this memorable year, host Stockton Heat and Bakersfield Condors will meet at Raley Field in Sacramento in an all-California outdoor battle to see a 3-2 win for the home team.
2017 – Staying in the West
Bakersfield can host its own outdoor event, facing the Ontario Reign in another clash of California clubs. It’s being played at Bakersfield College’s football stadium and it’s a wet, wild, rainy evening as the Condors take a 3-2 overtime decision.
2023 – Hitting the gridiron
After a five-year hiatus between outdoor games, the AHL will get its first chance at an NFL stadium. The Cleveland Monsters meet Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. The afternoon start of the match is postponed as the heavy sun affects the ice conditions, so the match is moved to the evening. The wait will be worth it for Monsters fans as they see a 3-2 win for the home side.
2024 – To the South
It’s back to the ballpark as the Charlotte Checkers take on Rochester at Truist Field, home of Triple-A Baseball’s Charlotte Knights. With Charlotte’s gleaming skyline overlooking the stadium, Mackie Samoskevich’s goal sends the Checkers to a 5-2 victory.
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