By Ryan Sandel can match Minnesota credentials to anyone.
Sandelin, a 27-year-old forward for the Iowa Wild, had an extensive hockey resume in Minnesota before ever turning pro. The son of the head coach of Minnesota-Duluth Scott SandelinRyan grew up in Hermantown, Minnesota, just outside of Duluth. Outdoor ice still remains a big part of hockey life in Minnesota’s Iron Range. He attended Hermantown High School, one of the most storied programs in the state’s extensive hockey history.
After two state championships, he eventually found himself at Minnesota State-Mankato, where he won more. The Mavericks won four conference championships while he was there, and he had a 21-goal season as a junior.
And now he’s wearing Iowa’s forest green color scheme to match its NHL parent club, the Minnesota Wild. After parts of two seasons with the Colorado Eagles, Iowa signed Sandelin to an AHL contract in July 2024. He has since established himself as a useful member of the Iowa roster.
His hockey path now leads him back to Minnesota for Friday’s Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic. The game between Iowa and the Milwaukee Admirals, held in Hastings, Minnesota, will be a key part of the 20th anniversary of Hockey Day Minnesota. Hockey Day Minnesota started last Saturday and featured a regular schedule of high school hockey, military hockey and alumni games.
Coverage of Friday’s Milwaukee-Iowa game begins at 5:30 ET on AHLTV on FloHockey and will stream for free on FloHockey’s social platforms.
It will be outdoor hockey, just as Sandelin remembers it. Iowa’s roster has a healthy presence in Minnesota: there are captains Matt Kierstedt (Elk River), Jac Peer (Grand Rapids) and Will Zmolek (Rochester) on the Iowa Blue Line. Standing at the front is Sandelin Jaxon Nelson (Magnolia). Iowa general manager Matt Hendriks (Blaine) is also a Minnesota product.
The entire Hockey Day Minnesota initiative celebrates the game’s grassroots connection to life in the state.
“It’s something we’ve been looking forward to,” Sandelin said.
The connection to the game began for Sandelin in Hermantown, a Duluth suburb of 10,000 residents just over two hours northeast of the Twin Cities.
“I was fortunate to grow up in Hermantown, where hockey is everything,” Sandelin said. “People live and breathe hockey, whether it’s in the Hermantown community or the Duluth community, everything just revolves around hockey.”
Every winter day when school was out, Sandelin would go to one of the city’s outdoor rinks. For the next six hours, he and his friends buzzed around the ice, learning the game in the informal way that only this type of hockey allows. A spot on Hermantown High’s roster served as an added incentive for Sandelin and his friends. While he was growing up a Marian Gaborik fan, some of his idols came from Hermantown High. He and his friends went to the team’s games, skated with the players and idolized them.
“You look up to those kids all the time,” Sandelin recalled. “You see them outside, and they’re like celebrities in town.”
He finally got the chance to represent his high school and his city. His Hermantown High teammates included future pros Wyatt Aamodt, Blake Biondi, Then cabbage And Dylan Samberg. This month also saw the opening of a new indoor ice rink in town, making waves and should only intensify Hermantown’s hockey culture.
“I think it just speaks to how big hockey is there, and how important it is to the community,” Sandelin said. “The whole community came to watch it. The rink is the center of the city. That’s the best way to describe hockey [there]. There is no city center. The ice rink is in the center. It is the center of the city and everyone comes there in the winter.”
That enthusiasm extends to the state’s NHL team, which is ranked second in the Western Conference and has a chance to make a strong run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the ice and snow have thawed and melted away. The team has an extensive radio network that covers the state well and extends well into North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Since signing with Iowa, Sandelin has had the opportunity to go to training camp with the parent team. It was another chance to connect with his state and his NHL team.
“The buzz in St. Paul right now is huge,” Sandelin said. “People love to talk about the Wild. They’re very excited about the potential that team has.”
Located about 25 miles southeast of the Twin Cities along the Mississippi River, Hastings will look a lot like Hermantown. And the weather forecast – temperatures below zero Fahrenheit with wind chills around minus 20 – will also surely remind Sandelin of his days at home skating.
But weather permitting, Sandelin hopes to have his daughter in the stands when he takes the ice Friday.
“That’s something that I know that when I’m done playing hockey in 10, 20 years, I can look back on a day like this and really cherish it and how special it was. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Every summer he returns home and trains with friends, and it brings him back.
“It started on the outdoor rink,” says Sandelin about his passion for hockey. “That’s exactly where it started.”
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