Houston Aeros (1994–2013)
The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL). The team played in Houston, Texas, at The Summit (renamed Compaq Center in 1998) from 1994 until 2003 and the Toyota Center from 2003 to 2013. In the IHL, the team operated as an independent minor league team from 1994 to 2001, though the team occasionally accepted players on loan from various National Hockey League (NHL) clubs for development. Upon joining the AHL for the 2001–02 season, they became the primary affiliate of the one-year-old NHL expansion team, the Minnesota Wild, a partnership they maintained until the franchise's relocation in 2013. While the team's only formal partnership with the Dallas Stars was a partial affiliation agreement during the 2004–05 season, Dallas occasionally sent some of their prospects to the Aeros on individual loans from 1993 to 2005, until the establishment of the Iowa Stars gave Dallas its own primary farm team.
| Houston Aeros | |
|---|---|
| City | Houston, Texas |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Operated | 1994–2013 |
| Home arena | Compaq Center (1994–2003) Toyota Center (2003–2013) |
| Colors | Green, red, wheat, white |
| Owner(s) | Minnesota Sports and Entertainment (86%), Chuck Watson (10%), Nick Sheppard (4%) |
| Affiliates | Minnesota Wild (2001–2013) Dallas Stars (2004–2005) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–2013 | Houston Aeros |
| 2013–present | Iowa Wild |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (1998–99) |
| Division titles | 2 (1998–99, 2002–03) |
| Conference titles | 3 (1998–99, 2002–03, 2010–11) |
| Turner Cups | 1 (1998–99) |
| Calder Cups | 1 (2002–03) |
As of November 2023, Cal Clutterbuck, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba, Charlie Coyle, Darcy Kuemper and Jonas Brodin are the only players active in the NHL who had once spent time in Houston.