FIRST LOOK · SERIES TRAILER
Hockey in the Heartland
Behind the scenes of the Iowa Wild · 2026–27 Season
Every shift. Every story. All season long.
Hockey in the Heartland is a six-part documentary series that takes fans inside the Iowa Wild for the 2026–27 season. Each 15 to 25 minute episode goes where cameras usually can't: the locker room, the bus rides, the front office, the stands with the fans, and the homes of the players chasing their shot at the NHL.
And it's about more than hockey. It's about the fans who pack Casey's Center, the community that rallies around its team, and the partners who make it all possible.
On the ice
Game nights, big moments, and the grind of an AHL season.
The players
Who they are away from the rink, and the chase for a call-up to the NHL.
The coaches
The preparation, the pressure, and the voices behind the bench.
The staff
The people who keep the team running, from the equipment room to the front office.
Promotional nights
Theme nights, giveaways, and the events that make Casey's Center a party.
The fans
The people who make Casey's Center loud.
The community
Youth hockey, local causes, and the Des Moines connection.
The partners
The businesses that help power the Wild.
Built like the shows you already love.
If you've watched Netflix's Quarterback or HBO's Hard Knocks, you know the feeling. You're not watching highlights. You're living inside a team, seeing the pressure, the humor, and the moments that never make the broadcast.
That's the standard for Hockey in the Heartland. Same approach to shooting, editing, and storytelling, built for the Iowa Wild and the fans who follow them.
Cinematic from the first frame
Cinema cameras, interviews with coaches, players, and staff, and a documentary crew that knows how to work around a hockey team.
Character-driven storytelling
Every episode follows real people with real lives, trying to accomplish their dreams.
Real access, real moments
Locker rooms, bus rides, and living rooms. The stuff fans never get to see.
Tight, story-first editing
Fast enough for social, deep enough to keep people watching to the last minute.
Quarterback and Hard Knocks are referenced to describe production style only. Hockey in the Heartland is not affiliated with Netflix or HBO.
A Northern Pine Productions series, in association with the Iowa Wild.
Hockey in the Heartland is produced by Northern Pine Productions in association with the Iowa Wild. We work side by side with the Wild's players, coaches, and staff, and the series is made possible by business partners who sponsor the production.
In direct collaboration with the Wild
Our crew works directly with Iowa Wild players, coaches, front office, and marketing staff to tell the story the right way. Every episode is published on the Iowa Wild's official channels.
Free for fans, all season
Every episode is free to watch on the Iowa Wild's channels, with new episodes landing within 1 to 3 weeks of filming. Fans can follow the season as it happens, not months later.
Built to last beyond the season
The episodes live on YouTube and social media, so they keep finding new viewers for years, especially as the players featured in the series make their way to the NHL.
Right where Iowa Wild fans already are.
Every episode is posted by the Iowa Wild on their official channels. Our team handles the titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and hashtags so each release is built to be found, watched, and shared. The series is also designed to grow the Wild's YouTube channel, so the audience keeps building all season.
Release schedule| Channel | Followers | What runs there |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 4.55K | Full episodes and trailers |
| 64K | Full episodes, trailers, and clips | |
| 45K | Trailers, Reels, and series clips | |
| TikTok | 28.3K | Short-form series clips |
| X | 29.5K | Episode drops and clips |
| 2.5K | Episode drops for the business community | |
| iowawild.com | Series home page with every episode | |
| AHLTV broadcasts | Every game | Series trailers and promos, home and away |
| Iowa Wild iHeartRadio Network | Every game | Series promos, home and away |
| Casey's Center big screen | ~6,150 / game | Series promo teasers at select home games |
A loyal and local fan base.
The Iowa Wild have built something special in Des Moines: affordable, family-friendly nights out and a fan base that shows up all winter long. As the top affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, they also draw fans across Iowa and Minnesota who follow the next wave of NHL talent.
- Business leaders and Iowa Wild corporate partners across Des Moines and Iowa
- Minnesota Wild fans following prospects on their way to the NHL
- Families looking for affordable entertainment close to home
- The hockey community: youth players, parents, adult leagues, and coaches
- Central Iowa and the Des Moines metro, the heart of the Wild's fan base
- Sports fans who love behind-the-scenes storytelling
Follower counts from Iowa Wild channels, September 2026. Attendance based on the 2025–26 regular-season average.
Where we're starting: last season on Iowa Wild YouTube.
These are the Iowa Wild's own YouTube numbers from the 2025–26 season, shared with us as partners. They came from one-off videos with no consistent series behind them. That's the baseline. Hockey in the Heartland is a consistent, targeted series built to grow from here.
STATES
- 1IowaHOME MARKET
- 2MinnesotaHOME OF THE NHL WILD
- 3California
- 4Michigan
- 5Illinois
COUNTRIES
- 1United States
- 2Canada
- 3Slovakia
- 4Sweden
One-off videos, not part of a recurring series
Source: Iowa Wild YouTube Analytics, Oct. 1, 2025 to Apr. 30, 2026. Views include 343,652 from the Wild's paid YouTube promotion. Age and gender shown as share of views. Returning viewers compares YouTube's regular and new viewer groups.
Fans will see it everywhere the Wild are.
Hockey in the Heartland doesn't just get posted and hope to be found. Trailers, teasers, and promos for the series run on Iowa Wild TV and radio broadcasts, on the big screen at Casey's Center, and across the team's social channels all season long.
TV
At least 3 series promos during every Iowa Wild game on AHLTV, home and away, all season and through the playoffs.
Radio
At least 3 series promos during every game on the Iowa Wild iHeartRadio Network, home and away.
The big screen
Series teasers on the Casey's Center big screen at select home games, in front of about 6,150 fans a night.
Social
Episode trailers and around 30 series clips across the Wild's Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Full episodes
Every episode on the Iowa Wild's YouTube and Facebook, plus a series home page on iowawild.com.
Here's a conservative look at how many people Hockey in the Heartland is built to reach in its first season, across full episodes, social clips, and the Casey's Center big screen.
8,000 to 15,000 organic views per episode across YouTube, Facebook, and iowawild.com.
Around 30 series clips across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.
Series teasers on the Casey's Center big screen at select home games.
Projections only. Actual results could come in much higher, or possibly lower.
And it keeps working after the season. The episodes live on YouTube and social media, so they stay live and keep collecting views long after the final horn, especially as featured prospects make the NHL.
A season-long story. Six episodes released across the season give fans a reason to come back, and bonus episodes follow the team if the Wild make a playoff run.
All numbers on this page are projections based on current Iowa Wild channel sizes, 2025–26 attendance, and typical engagement for team-published content. They are not guarantees. Actual results could be significantly higher, or possibly lower.
Hockey stories are what we do best.
We have been following teams year after year, creating documentaries featuring some of the most important moments and cultures in hockey, from the 1980 Olympic gold, to today's sled hockey gold medalists, to some of the best junior hockey teams in the country. We've produced for the Minnesota Wild, USA Hockey, the New Mexico Ice Wolves, the Sioux Falls Stampede, the Chicago Steel, and the Iowa Wild themselves.
Clark Cup Finals: Full Documentary
What a championship run looks like through our lens. Every big moment on the ice is here, but the heart of it is the community, the players, and the journey that got them there.
Watch the documentary ›
ALS Night, Shakey, and Iowa Hockey Culture
Our work with the Wild themselves. ALS Night at Casey's Center, a closer look at Shakey, the team's longtime and beloved equipment manager with personality to spare, and the hockey culture that makes Iowa special.
Watch the feature ›
Six Seasons, One Team
One of many episodes from six seasons with the Ice Wolves. The Teddy Bear Toss is the backbone, with the stories happening all around it woven in, from the stands to the locker room.
Watch the episode ›
Want to know more about the series?
Questions about Hockey in the Heartland, or interested in being part of it? Reach out to either of us.
