The Iowa Wild were founded in 1994, and have been playing in the AHL since 2001. Before then, they were known as the Houston Aeros, playing in the IHL (International Hockey League) until they joined the AHL. For the 2001-2002 season, they affiliated with the Minnesota Wild and have been their AHL affiliate since then.
In 2003, the Houston Aeros were majority sold to Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, the owners of the Minnesota Wild, though the original owner, Chuck Watson, retained a minority share.
In 2013, the Minnesota Wild were unable to reach an agreement with the Aeros arena at the time, the Toyota Center, and thus the Aeros were relocated from Houston to Des Moines, Iowa, where they were renamed the Iowa Wild.
The Iowa Wild have never won a Calder Cup under that name, though they have one win as the Houston Aeros in 2003, defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs in seven games.
In the 2022-23 season, the Wild finished with a record of 34-27-6-5, fourth in the Central Division. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Rockford Icehogs.
Their current head coach is Brett MacLean, their GM is Michael Murray, and they play out of the Wells Fargo Arena (not to be confused with the Wells Fargo Center, where the Philadelphia Flyers play).
Notable former Wid include Kyle Rau, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin.