Minnesota Wilderness

The Minnesota Wilderness are an American Junior ice hockey team based in Cloquet, Minnesota. The Wilderness play in the North American Hockey League, having played in the Canadian-based Superior International Junior Hockey League for three seasons. The Wilderness originated in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League as the Northwest Wisconsin Knights and Wisconsin Mustangs and entered the SIJHL as the Wisconsin Wilderness.
For the 2013-14 season, the Wilderness will begin play in the North American Hockey League.
==History==
Founded in 2000 as the Northwest Wisconsin Knights as a Junior B team. In 2004, the Knights changed their name to the Wisconsin Mustangs. In 2006, their league was promoted to Tier III Junior A status by USA Hockey.
From 2001 until 2003, the Knights had an interleague relationship with the Canadian Superior International Junior Hockey League. The 2009-10 season saw them back in an interlock with the SIJHL.
On May 17, 2010, the Mustangs announced they were officially leaving the MNJHL, their players were released to a dispersal draft.http://www.mnjhl.com/news_article/show/51290?referrer_id=110239 Soon after they applied for entry into the SIJHL. After a couple months, they were allowed entry. The team dropped the Mustangs logo, colors, and name as the organization entered the new league and chose to go with the "Wilderness" moniker.
On September 17, 2010, the Wilderness played their first ever game as a full member of the SIJHL, on the road, against the Sioux Lookout Flyers. The Wilderness took the game 3-2. To record their first ever win as a full member of the league. On September 24, 2010, the Wilderness became the first American-based full membership SIJHL team to host a regular season game in the United States. The Wilderness defeated the Fort Frances Lakers 4-3. In 2011, the Wilderness won the league championship.
In the summer of 2012, the team relocated to Cloquet, Minnesota and changed their name to the Minnesota Wilderness.
On May 4, 2013, the Wilderness became the first American team in history to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup by defeating the St. Michael's Buzzers 4-3 in overtime in the Central Canada final. They will now become the first American team to compete directly for the Royal Bank Cup, the Canadian National Junior A championship.
After winning the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Wilderness announced that the 2013 Royal Bank Cup will be their final foray in Canadian junior hockey as they will join the North American Hockey League at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. At the Royal Bank Cup, Minnesota finished fourth in the round robin with a 1-3 record. In the semi-final, they surrendered a 4-2 third period lead to the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Brooks Bandits to lose 5-4 in overtime. Their loss to Brooks ended their hopes of a National Championship and was their final game as members of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
In the Spring of 2013, the Wilderness bought the franchise rights of the dormant St. Louis Bandits franchise to obtain expansion into the NAHL.
==Season-by-Season Results==
Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights 	Northwest Wisconsin Knights
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	GF 	GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs
2000-01 	36 	26 	9 	- 	1 	192 	120 	53 	3rd MinJHL 	
2001-02 	42 	30 	10 	- 	2 	227 	160 	62 	2nd MinJHL 	
2002-03 	42 	29 	10 	- 	3 	221 	132 	61 	3rd MinJHL 	
2003-04 	40 	14 	25 	1 	3 	152 	194 	32 	5th MinJHL 	
Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs 	Wisconsin Mustangs
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	GF 	GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs
2004-05 	48 	11 	34 	1 	2 	151 	267 	25 	6th MinJHL 	
2005-06 	48 	21 	23 	3 	1 	180 	196 	46 	4th MinJHL 	
2006-07 	40 	25 	12 	3 	0 	176 	130 	53 	3rd MinJHL 	Lost Semi-final
2007-08 	48 	38 	5 	- 	5 	268 	122 	81 	2nd MinJHL 	Lost Quarter-final
2008-09 	48 	29 	17 	- 	2 	219 	172 	60 	4th MinJHL 	Lost Semi-final
2009-10 	50 	28 	18 	- 	4 	189 	148 	60 	4th MinJHL 	Lost Semi-final
Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness 	Wisconsin Wilderness
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	GF 	GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs
2010-11 	56 	45 	6 	- 	5 	264 	122 	95 	1st SIJHL 	Won League
2011-12 	56 	49 	6 	- 	1 	259 	97 	99 	1st SIJHL 	Won League
Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness 	Minnesota Wilderness
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	GF 	GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs
2012-13 	56 	51 	3 	- 	2 	282 	85 	104 	1st SIJHL 	Won League, Won DHC
North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)	North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	OL 	SL 	GF 	GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs
2013-14 	60 	37 	14 	9 	- 	159 	115 	83 	2nd, Midwest 	Lost Div. Semi-Finals, 2-3 (Wenatchee Wild)
2014-15 	60 	39 	15 	6 	- 	209 	152 	84 	2nd, Midwest 	Won First Round Series, 3-2 (Chill)Won Quarterfinals, 3-0 (Ice Dogs)Won Semifinals 2-0 (Jets)Won Finals, 2-0 (Austin Bruins)ROBERTSON CUP CHAMPION
2015-16 	60 	34 	18 	7 	- 	183 	161 	76 	3rd, Midwest 	Won Div. Semifinals, 3-1 vs. Janesville JetsLost Div. Finals, 2-3 Fairbanks Ice Dogs
2016-17 	60 	32 	22 	4 	2 	188 	179 	70 	2nd, Midwest 	Won Div. Semifinals, 3-2 vs. Brookings BlizzardLost Div. Finals, 2-3 Aberdeen Wings
2017-18 	60 	33 	21 	3 	3 	184 	181 	72 	3rd, Midwest 	Lost Div. Semifinals, 1-3 vs. Austin Bruins
2018-19 	60 	26 	29 	3 	2 	170 	189 	57 	5th Central 	Did not qualify
2019-20 	52 	26 	22 	4 	0 	160 	165 	56 	5th Central 	Playoffs cancelled
2020-21 	56 	25 	27 	1 	3 	136 	168 	54 	3rd Central 	Lost Div. Semifinals 0-3 vs Bismarck Bobcats
2021-22 	60 	35 	23 	1 	1 	216 	203 	72 	4th Central 	Won Div. Semifinals 3-2 vs Fairbanks Ice DogsLost Div. Final 1-3 vs Anchorage Wolverines
2022-23 	60 	35 	18 	3 	4 	168 	146 	77 	2nd Central 	Won Div. Semifinals 3-0 vs Kenai River Brown BearsWon Div. Final 3-1 vs Wisconsin WindigoLost Semifinal 0-2 vs Oklahoma Warriors
2023-24 	60 	30 	25 	2 	3 	157 	168 	65 	4th of 8 Midwest 20th of 32 NAHL 	Lost Div. Semi-Finals, 1-3 Anchorage Wolverines
===Playoffs===
*2011 Won League, Lost and eliminated in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin
:Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Fort Frances Lakers 1 two-game aggregate to 1, 2-1 SO tie breaker
:Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Thunder Bay North Stars 4-games-to-none
:Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-games-to-none SIJHL CHAMPIONS
:Fourth and eliminated in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin (0-2-1)
*2012 Won League, Lost and eliminated in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin
:Fort Frances Lakers defeated Wisconsin Wilderness 1 two-game aggregate to 1, 6-5 SO tie breaker
:Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Thunder Bay North Stars 4-games-to-none
:Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Fort Frances Lakers 4-games-to-3 SIJHL CHAMPIONS
:Fourth and eliminated in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin (1-0-2)
*2013 Won League, Won Dudley Hewitt Cup, Lost 2013 Royal Bank Cup semi-final
:Minnesota Wilderness defeated Minnesota Iron Rangers 4-games-to-none
:Minnesota Wilderness defeated Fort Frances Lakers 4-games-to-2 SIJHL CHAMPIONS
:First in Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin (2-0-1)
:Minnesota Wilderness beat St. Michael's Buzzers (OJHL) 4-3 OT in final DUDLEY HEWITT CUP CHAMPIONS
:Fourth in 2013 Royal Bank Cup round robin (1-3-0)
:Brooks Bandits (AJHL) beat Minnesota Wilderness 5-4 OT in semi-final
==Interleague Results==
Season 	GP	W	L 	T	OTL	GF	GA 	P 	League
2001-02	24	6	14	4	0 	77	118	16	SIJHL
2002-03	20	6	14	0	0 	76	113	12	SIJHL
2009-10	20	4	15	-	1 	56	90 	9 	SIJHL
==References==
==External links==
*Wilderness Webpage
*Superior International JHL Webpage
*Minnesota JHL Webpage
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:Superior International Junior Hockey League team
Category:North American Hockey League team