Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Ryan Sandlin Minnesota credentials can be matched to anyone.
Sandlin, 27, is a forward with the Iowa Wild who had an extensive hockey resume in Minnesota before turning pro. Son of Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott SandlinRyan grew up in Hermantown, Minnesota, just outside of Duluth. Outdoor rinks remain an important part of hockey life in Minnesota's Iron Range. He attended Hermantown High School, one of the most prestigious programs in high school hockey history in the state.
After two state championships, he eventually made it to Mankato, Minnesota, where he racked up more wins. The Mavericks won four conference championships during his time there, and he scored 21 goals in his junior season.
Now, he's wearing Iowa's forest green colorway to match its NHL parent team, the Minnesota Wild. Iowa signed Sandlin to an AHL contract in July 2024 after two seasons with the Colorado Eagles. Since then, he has become a useful member of Iowa State's roster.
His hockey path will now take him back to Minnesota for Friday's Iowa Wild Outdoors Classic. The game between Iowa State and the Milwaukee Admirals in Hastings, Minn., will be an important part of the 20th anniversary of Hockey Day in Minnesota. Minnesota Hockey Days kicked off last Saturday and features regular high school hockey, military hockey and alumni games.
FloHockey's AHLTV will begin coverage of Friday's Milwaukee-Iowa State game at 5:30 ET and will be live-streamed for free on FloHockey's social platforms.
It will be an outdoor hockey game just as Sandlin remembers it. Iowa has Minnesota's healthy players on roster: Has captains Matt Kiersted (Elk River), Jack Peart (Grand Rapids) and Will Zmolek (Rochester) Iowa blue line. Walking in front with Sandlin was Jaxson Nelson (Magnolia). Iowa State General Manager matt hendricks (Bryan) is a Minnesota product as well.
The entire event of Minnesota Hockey Day is about celebrating the sport’s grassroots connection to life in the state.
“This is something we’ve been looking forward to,” Sandlin said.
The connection to the game begins in Sanderling in Hermantown, a Duluth suburb of 10,000 people more than two hours northeast of the Twin Cities.
“I was lucky enough to grow up in Hermantown where hockey was everything,” Sandlin said. “People live and breathe hockey, whether it’s in the Hermantown community or the Duluth community, everything revolves around hockey.”
Every winter after school, Sandlin would head to an outdoor skating rink in town. For the next six hours, he and his friends bustled around the ice, learning the game in an informal way unique to this type of hockey. A spot on the Hermantown High School roster was another incentive for Sandlin and his friends. when he grows up Marianne Gaborik As a fan, some of his idols came from Hermantown High School. He and his friends watched the team play, skated with the players, and idolized them.
“You always looked up to those kids,” Sandlin recalled. “You see them out there and they're like celebrities in town.”
Finally he got a chance to represent his high school and his town. His teammates at Hermantown High School included future pro players Wyatt Aamot, Blake Biondi, Cole Koepke and Dylan Samberg. A new indoor rink in town also opened with much fanfare this month, which will only strengthen Hermantown's hockey culture.
“I think it just shows how big hockey is and how much it drives the community,” Sandlin said. “The whole community came out to watch. The rink is the center of town. That's the best way to describe hockey [there]. There is no city center. In the center of the city is the ice rink. It is the center of the city and the place that everyone longs for in winter. “
That enthusiasm also extends to the state's NHL team, which is second in the Western Conference and has a chance to make a strong run in the Stanley Cup playoffs once the ice and snow thaw. The team has an extensive radio network that covers the entire state and extends into North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Since Sandlin signed with Iowa State, he's had the opportunity to attend training camp with his parent team. It's another opportunity to connect with his state and its NHL team.
“The excitement in St. Paul is through the roof right now,” Sandlin said. “People love to talk about the Wild. They're really excited about the potential of this team.”
Hastings is located about 25 miles southeast of the Twin Cities along the Mississippi River and is very similar to Hermantown. The weather forecast — with temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit and wind chills in the low 20s — is sure to remind Sandlin of his days skating back home, too.
But weather permitting, Sandlin hopes to have her daughter in the stands when she takes the ice on Friday.
“I know that 10, 20 years from now, when I'm no longer playing hockey, I'm going to be able to 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 goes home and trains with his friends, which keeps him coming back.
“It all started at an outdoor rink,” Sandlin said of his passion for hockey. “That's exactly where it started.”
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
