theathleticuk
Looking for stability at AHL Iowa after finishing near the bottom of the standings three years in a row, the Minnesota Wild are opting for a young, up-and-coming coach who can help build the program in Des Moines rather than a veteran looking for a stepping stone back into the NHL.
The franchise announced on Monday that it is hiring Minnesota native Stu Buckel, who has spent the past five years as an assistant coach with some highly successful AHL teams, as the seventh coach since the relocated franchises inception in 2013.
Advertisement Bickel, 39, was born in Chanhassen and played for Eden Prairie High School, the University of Minnesota and nine games for his home state Minnesota Wild in 2014-15.
He spent the past four years as an assistant with AHL Coachella Valley and one with AHL Springfield.
He coached in the Calder Cup Final three years in a row once with Springfield and twice with Coachella Valley.
The former tough defenseman played 310 AHL games (54 points, 919 penalty minutes) and 76 NHL games (10 points, 203 penalty minutes) with the Rangers and Wild.
Bickel was the blueliner who moved up to take the faceoff against now-Wild analyst Ryan Carter in a famous Devils-Rangers line brawl 14 years ago.
Bickel is the youngest coach in Iowa Wild history and the first who played for the team.
Bickel, who retired from professional hockey in 2017-18, played 43 games (11 points, 93 penalty minutes) for Iowa in 2014-15.
He replaces Greg Cronin, the former Anaheim Ducks coach who coached one year with Iowa before recently returning to the NHL as an assistant coach with the St.
Louis Blues.