The American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild has continued to round out their coaching staff by adding former defenseman Nathan McIver as an assistant coach according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. It will be McIver’s second stint as a coach in the AHL and will join Brett McLean’s staff in Iowa who is entering his second season with the organization.
The hire will serve as an introduction to the Minnesota Wild organization for McIver who spent 10 years as a player in the AHL and NHL. McIver began his professional playing career in the 2005-06 season with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL and would make his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks only a year later. The bruising defenseman became known as an enforcer throughout his days on the blue line while also spending time with the Anaheim Ducks organization, the Providence Bruins, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Hamilton Bulldogs, and the Norfolk Admirals.
It didn’t take long for McIver to find a new line of work after his playing days ended following the 2015-16 season. The veteran AHL defenseman spent four years as the assistant coach with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals where the team finished either second or third in the Eastern Conference during each year of his tenure. McIver moved on to the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers in the same role for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before taking a brief stop as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Belleville Senators last year.