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Iowa Heartlanders Hockey Operations

Derek Damon

Derek Damon

Head Coach & General Manager

Hometown: Bangor, ME | Birth date: 11/12/80 | Experience: 2nd season as Heartlanders Head Coach, 3rd season coaching with Heartlanders 

- Named 2nd Head Coach in Heartlanders history on July 5, 2022, replacing Gerry Fleming. Team earned an above .500 record from February-April 15-14-4-1 and brought in a number of notable players in final months of the season.Heartlanders finished with 22-36-13-1 record in 2022-23. 

- Was Iowa Assistant Coach in the team's 2021-22 inaugural season (29-33-9-1 record, .472 pts.%). One of the masterminds of the Heartlanders' 4th ranked power play (23.9%) in team's first season. Club ranked 12th on the penalty kill (81.5%) after starting season in bottom half of the league PK. 

- Forward skated in 14 professional seasons and in 784 games. Coached by Gerry Fleming in ECHL Florida (2006-08). 

- Made 4 NCAA tournaments and 2 Frozen Fours at University of Maine. 2004 Hockey East Champion. 

- Made transition to coaching in 2020-21 as assistant with Salmon Arm (BCHL).

Joe Exter

Joe Exter

Associate Coach & Assistant General Manager

Hometown: Cranston, RI | Birth date: 12/19/78 Experience: 2nd season as Heartlanders Associate Coach 

- Was promoted to team's Associate Coach & Assistant General Manager in 2023 offseason.

- Served as Associate Coach in 2022-23, his first season as a professional coach. Team earned an above .500 record from February-April 15-14-4-1. Heartlanders brought in a number of notable players in final months of the season and finished with 22-36-13-1 record in 2022-23. 

- 12 seasons of NCAA assistant coaching experience: 6 with Ohio State (2011-17), 5 with Michigan State (2017-22) and 1 with American International College (2005-06). Qualified for 2017 NCAA Tournament with Ohio State. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Assistant Coach in 2006-07. 

- Exter won the 2010 Gold Medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship and earned a bronze medal in 2011. Was the first ever full-time Goaltending Coach with the USA National Development Team Program (USNTDP, 2007-11). Won three straight gold medals from 2009-11 at the IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championships with Team USA. 

- Captained Merrimack College in 2002-03 as goaltender and was named team MVP and given the college’s Players Coach Award. Played two professional seasons for the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers from 2003-05. Played juniors in Iowa for Waterloo Black Hawks in 1998-99.

Eric Michaud

Eric Michaud

Director of Hockey Operations & Video Coach

Eric Michaud is Iowa's Director of Hockey Operations and Video Coach, earning a promotion in the 2023 offseason after he joined Iowa as the team’s Coordinator of Video and Team Services in June 2022. Michaud is responsible for prioritizing and supporting all aspects of the team’s day-to-day hockey operations needs. He also live cuts and edits video for coaching review and team improvement. The Lewiston, ME native also worked for the Kansas City Mavericks in 2020-21 and the Maine Mariners in 2021-22. He was an assistant video coordinator for the University of Maine’s NCAA Division I men’s hockey program from 2015-17 and has served as an assistant coach at the junior level for the Maine Nordiques.

Greg Angus

Greg Angus

Equipment Manager

Greg Angus was named Heartlanders Equipment Manager in June 2022, a return to professional hockey after spending multiple years at the AHL level. Angus worked for the San Jose Barracuda and San Jose Sharks from 2017-21. In 2021-22, Angus was the Equipment Manager of the USHL’s Madison Capitols. Greg Angus: “I’m incredibly thankful and excited to accept my first position in the ECHL with the Heartlanders. From the top down, the organization is in tremendous position to take the next step on the ice and off it in the community and I’m excited to play a role in that. I’d also like thank the staff in Madison for a first-class experience and for allowing me to push forward and take the step into professional hockey leading as Iowa’s equipment manager.” While with the San Jose Sharks organization, Angus was the Barracuda’s home and away Locker Room Attendant. The San Jose, CA native also assisted the equipment team with the Sharks from 2018-21 on game nights. Angus attended Foothill Community College in the Bay Area.

Bryan Rohrbach

Bryan Rohrbach

Strength & Conditioning

Bryan Rohrbach joined the Heartlanders as Iowa's Strength & Conditioning Coach for the team's inaugural season and plays a large part of the day-to-day progress of Heartlanders players. He works with the team and staff to ensure the Heartlanders meet fitness goals and receive active recovery so that players are prepared for the grind of a 72-game regular season. Rohrbach has served in a variety of roles and is also locally with West Branch High School as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach. The UNI graduate earned a B.A. in Exercise Science in 2012, then stayed in Cedar Falls to earn his M.A. in Kinesiology and Sports Performance from UNI in 2014.

Iowa Heartlanders Front Office Staff

Matt Getz

Matt Getz

President

The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, named Matt Getz President of the Heartlanders in September 2023. Getz brings nearly two decades of sales, advertising and marketing experience to the team and joins the Heartlanders after spending the last five years with the Accel Group in eastern Iowa. Prior to his time with the Accel Group, Getz spent 11 years working for the University of Iowa Athletics Department in event and project management.

Getz most recently served as the Director of Business Intelligence with the Accel Group where he helped oversee the direction and daily operations for a number of departments within the company. During his time with Accel Group, he received numerous awards and recognitions for his work.

During Getz’ time at the University of Iowa, he was named the Hawkeyes’ Director of Event Management and successfully executed home events for all Iowa Division I Sports. Among successes with the Hawkeyes, Getz was responsible for bringing two Olympic Team Trial events in wrestling to Iowa City (2012 and 2016), which set all-time attendance records. He helped prepare and execute the 2015 Men’s Swimming and Diving National Championships at the University of Iowa. Additionally, in November 2015, Getz and his team at the athletic department brought the “Grapple on the Gridiron” to Kinnick Stadium, a wrestling event that marked the first time two college teams wrestled in a NCAA Division I football stadium.

Getz is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and earned his Master of Arts from the University of Iowa in 2010.

 

Erin Pottebaum

Erin Pottebaum

Director of Business Operations

Erin plays a pivotal role in the development and expansion of relationships with corporate partners and organizations within the Corridor, with an emphasis on expanding the Heartlanders’ impact on the local community and eastern Iowa. She joined the Heartlanders after serving as the Director of Operations for the Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) since 2016. While at ICAD, Pottebaum connected businesses with meaningful opportunities, resources, and support to help grow the economy in the greater Iowa City area. Outside of her professional pursuits, Erin and her family have embraced hockey, and evolving into avid Heartlanders fans. Contact Erin at erin@iowaheartlanders.com.




 

Phill Seebeck

Phill Seebeck

Director of Sales

Phill oversees the team’s ticket sales outreach and develops strategies that help the Heartlanders continue the strong growth of their fanbase. He comes to the Heartlanders after he served as Business Sales Executive at ImOn Communications. During his time at ImOn, he was integral in growing the customer base and establishing community connections throughout the ICR Corridor.  Seebeck is originally from the Quad Cities, is a Cornell College graduate and has lived in Johnson County for a decade. Outside of his professional life, Seebeck is an avid holiday-lights enthusiast, a live-music fan, an aspiring chef, and displays some Big Dad Energy. Contact Phill at phill@iowaheartlanders.com.

Molly Uphoff

Molly Uphoff

Director, Ticket & Sponsorship Services

Molly Uphoff has been with the Heartlanders since April 2021 and was the second employee hired in team history! She has been a huge asset for the development of the Heartlanders in multiple ways, including the development of strategies aimed at increasing ticket revenue and corporate partnerships. The Illinois native has worked in the ECHL since 2018, previously working with the Florida Everblades as a Ticket Sales and Service Manager.

David Fine

David Fine

Director, Communications & Broadcasting

David Fine enters his third season with the Heartlanders as the team's play-by-play broadcaster. He has worked for the Heartlanders since May 2021. The Syracuse University graduate has called games at the ECHL and USHL level prior to joining Iowa, plus select AHL games. He was named the team's Director of Communications in May 2020. Fine is a huge Bruce Springsteen fan and often starts his game day by listening to The Boss while distributing game notes.

Jarrett Mescher

Jarrett Mescher

Director, Game Operations

Jarrett Mescher starts his third season with the Heartlanders in 2023-24. He was named the team's Director of Game Operations in August 2021 and is responsible for all aspects of the team's game-night production for home games at Xtream Arena. 

Mescher brings an array of sports experience, working for the Willmar Stingars (Northwoods League Baseball) and for the Minnesota State University Athletic Department. 

Jarrett is often seen talking about his alma mater in depth, often to the detriment of his office employees who now know everything about the city of Mankato, Minnesota.

Trent Armstrong

Trent Armstrong

Manager, Ticket Sales and Services

Trent is in his second season working as a full-time employee of the Heartlanders and his third overall. He started with the Heartlanders as a sales and game operations assistant and is now a Manager of Ticket Sales and Services with Iowa. Trent graduated from the University of Iowa in 2021. A native Iowan, Armstrong has also worked as a Stadium Operations Assistant for the Iowa Cubs prior to coming on full time with the Heartlanders. 

Despite the long hours it takes to be successful while working in sports, Trent admitted to us that he does still take time each week to complain about the ending of the TV Show "The Sopranos," arguing that the series left him feeling slightly incomplete with the (SPOILER ALERT) fade to black ending in the episode "Made in America."

Chase Norton

Chase Norton

Account Executive

Chase is back with the Heartlanders for his second season in the Black and Sunrise Yellow in 2023-24. The Heartlanders are his first experience working in affiliated hockey, but not his first time working in sports. Prior to joining Iowa, Norton served as an assistant for the Mankato Sports Commission and also was a game day assistant for the Sioux Falls Canaries. Norton graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Minnesota State University. 

His favorite movie is The Sandlot and his favorite movie character is Squints from The Sandlot.

Jeff Shedosky

Jeff Shedosky

Account Executive

Jeff joined the Heartlanders as an account executive in February 2023 and is an integral member to the Heartlanders sales staff. Originally from Wisconsin, Jeff spent years as a member of the Marine Corps. After his enlistment, Jeff graduated from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. 

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