Mallards continue arrangement with Wild

The Quad City Mallards’ management stayed busy throughout the heat of the summer and highlighted a busy month of July by renewing its affiliation agreement with the parent Minnesota Wild.

A team issued press release confirmed the Minnesota Wild-Iowa Wild-Quad City Mallards troika would be working together once again, marking the third consecutive season of affiliation for the Mallards. However, this season, the Mallards will for the first time be the lone ECHL affiliate for the Wild.

The Mallards made numerous additions and offers through the month. Following is a chronological list of events actually beginning June 30.

Nikiforov-Nelson back in the fold

The Mallards got a jump on the July 1 Qualifying Offers, bringing a pair of familiar names back to town.

Vladimir Nikoforov is a well-travelled vet back for a second stint with Quad City after first playing 62 games with the Mallards in the 2013-14 season.

A 27-year-old, 5’6,” 170 lbs. winger and native of Elektrenai, Lithuania, Nikiforov collected 45 points (14g, 31a), in 63 games with the Mallards (then a member of the CHL) — one of his best as a pro, but last season he tried his luck overseas, playing for teams in Germany, Poland and finally, England before commiting to return to North America this sesaon.

Nikiforov played his junior on this side of the ocean with a three year stint in the OHL with Barrie and Sarnia before making his pro debut in 2008-09, splitting time between Utah of the ECHL and Bridgeport in the AHL. He has also played on ECHL teams in Florida, Bakersfield and Reading, along with Bloomington in the CHL and one other season with Lokomotiv-Yaroslavl overseas.

In a team issued press release, Head Coach/GM Terry Ruskowski said he is looking for big things from Nikiforov.

““We’re very glad to bring back Vladi because he is an exciting player who is both a skilled playmaker and a goal scorer,” said  Ruskowski in the release.  “He is a threat every time he is on the ice and someone who we’re going to count on for production this season.”

Also returning to the team for a second season is 21-year-old, 6’1,” 185 lbs. center, Logan Nelson.

The Rogers, MN native will be looking to build off of a promising start to his pro career as he made the jump from a four-season junior career, beginning with a season at Des Moines in the USHL, then three more in the WHL with the Victoria Royals. Nelson collected 28 points (16g, 12a) in 43 games with the Mallards last season, including a 21 points in 26 games finish to the campaign, after being picked up early in the season in a trade with Rapid City.

“Logan did a good job last season and became an important player for us,” said Ruskowski in the team issued press release. “Once he adjusted to the pro game and fought through some injuries he was a consistently dangerous scorer.  We’re looking forward to seeing him work hard to take another step forward in his second season.”

Qualifying offers

Like the rest of the league, the Mallards used July 1 to send out Qualifying Offers to different players for the 2015-16 season. Listed below in no particular order are the players the Mallards hope will become a core of its team.

Justin Fox: This 28-year-old 6’0,” 190 lbs. forward from Whitby, ON has been able to literally travel the world playing hockey but he might have found a home last season in Quad City.

Fox missed just one regular season game, playing in 71 and he contributed 58 points (23g, 35a), the best output of his four seasons of pro so far.

Fox played his junior at Pickering and Newmarket of what is now known as the OJHL and then moved on to a four year college run split between Salem State and Oswego. He spent his first season of junior with Huntsville of the SPHL and spent an earlier 33 game stint in Quad City and Tulsa in the CHL along with a 21 game stretch with Perth in the Australian pro league.

Mario Lamoureux: A 27-year-old, 5’9,” 185 lbs. center from Grand Forks, ND. Lamoureux has four full seasons of pro under his belt along with a two game internship with Gwinnett of the ECHL after graduating from University of North Dakota in 2012.

After a couple of seasons at Ontario along with brief appearances in the AHL and Europe, Lamoureux came to Quad City last season, playing in 68 games and totaling 71 points (20g, 51a).

Jeff Lee: A 27-year-old, 6’2,” 194 lbs. forward from Calgary, the Mallards are hoping to bring Lee back for a third season.

The durable forward has missed just six regular season games in two seasons with the Mallards having broken into the pro league the previous season with Rapid City. Last season, Lee collected 43 points (21g, 22a) in 72 games, a slight dip from the 60 points (23g, 37a) in 66 games the previous season.

After a couple of seaons in Alberta junior, Lee moved on to play at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks  for a season but then returned to junior with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings for two more campaigns.

After a two game preview with Springfield in the AHL at the end of the 2008-09 season, Lee returned to school, this time at University of New Brunswick until his graduation in 2012.

Joe Perry: Another forward that can put the puck in the net, Perry is a 25-year-old, 6’2,” 216 lbs. native of Nanaimo B.C. who put up 43 points (26g, 17a) in 54 games with the Mallards while also playing in a half dozen games for Iowa in the AHL.

Last season was the first pro campaign for Perry who played junior for his hometown Clippers in the BCHL before moving on to a four-year stint at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin.

Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel: A 28-year-old 6’2,” 220 lbs. native of Bordeaux, France, Dieude-Fauvel played 31 games with the Mallards last season along with a call up to the Iowa Wild for another 20 and numerous International matches with the French National team.

The defenseman played all of his junior and several of his early pro years in his home county, finally coming across the pond to play with Laredo of the CHL in 2009-10.

He played a couple of seasons with Elmira of the ECHL before playing most of the 2013-14 season with the Mallards — then a CHL squad.

In the 31 games he played last sseason, Dieude-Fauvel collected nine points (4g, 5a) and 40 penalty minutes, finishing the campaign as a -1.

Nicholas Rioux: Another defenseman that split time between the Mallards and the Iowa Wild, Rioux is a 28-year-old, 6’1,” 194 lbs. native of Riviere-du-Loup, QC.

Rioux played junior with Amherst (NS) of the Maritime league, then moved to the other side of the nation for a a couple of seasons in the BCHL with Quesnel and Prince George. He moved on to play three seasons at St. Cloud St. University in Minnesota before making his pro debut with Rio-Grande of the CHL in 2011-12. He played the following season at Bloomington before signing on with the Mallards in 2013-14.

Rioux picked up 32 points (5g, 27a) in 58 games with the Mallards, while also playing in another nine games with the AHL Wild. This past season, Rioux made the move to the ECHL with the Mallards and played in another 54 games, collecting 23 points (4g, 19a) and traveling to Iowa for another 15 games.

Evan Mosher: The Mallards are hoping to bring back Mosher who turned in a fine effort between the pipes in his first season of pro hockey.

Mosher, a 25-year-old, 5,11,” 176 lbs. goaltender from St. John’s NL appeared in 33 games for the Mallards, posting a 2.74 Goals Against Average and a solid .914 Save Percentage.

The young goaltender also was sent to Lake Erie of the AHL on loan, but he did not appear in any games there.

Mosher played his junior hockey with PEI of the QMJHL for five seasons before attending Acadia University (NS) where he played for another three seasons.

Rookies Neal-Baker sign on 

The Mallards issued a press release on July 13 announcing the signings of a pair of rookie defensemen, Matt Neal and Jake Baker.

Neal is a 23-year-old, 5’10,” 190 lbs. defender from Minesing, ON who actually got a seven game pro preview at the end of last season with the Mallards after finishing his fourth and final season at RPI. He collected 16 points (5g, 11a) in 35 games at RPI and picked up another six points (1g, 5a) in the seven pro games last sesaon.

Neal actually began his junior career in Sweden before playing three seasons with Stouffville in the OJHL.

Baker also made a seven-game debut with the Mallards after graduating from Northern Michigan University at the end of last season. The 25-year-old, 6’5″, 223 lbs. defenseman from New Westminster, BC had an extensive six year junior run with teams in Port Moody, of the PIJHL along with Merritt, Nanaimo, Victoria and Trail of the BCHL.

After finishing his four year run at Northern last season Baker picked up one assist for the Mallards in the final seven games.

McMillan returns as Mallards’ Captain

Darren McMillan secured his spot for a sixth season as Mallard’s captain, signing with the team on July 15.

The veteran 6’0,” 215 lbs. 35-year-old defenseman first played with the Mallards in 2009-10 when it was an IHL team, playing just 12 games before finishing the season in Germany.

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, McMillan played three seasons with Erie in the OHL before attending St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia and playing four seasons there. He made his pro debut in 2005-06 with Wichita in the CHL and followed that up with a season in Germany and another season with Ontario in the ECHL.

He has played with the Mallards exclusively since the start of the 2010-11 season and he has been team captain throughout that reign. Last season, McMillan appeared in all 72 games, collecting 11 points (1g, 10a) and 39 penalty minutes and rating a +2.

“Having Darren back again this season is a big boost for us,” said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski in a team issued press release.  “He’s been an important player and a reliable locker room presence for this team year-in and year-out and the fact that he’s still excelling on the ice in his mid-thirties says a lot about his character and work ethic.”

Eviston and Collins rejoin flock

A pair of forwards will be back in the fold for the Mallards after the team announced in a press release July 23 that both have signed contracts for the upcoming campaign.

Pearce Eviston  played a full season in Quad City last year and Anthony Collins came over midseason.

Eviston, a 22-year-old, 6’1,” 194 lbs. winger from Vancouver played his junior in the BCHL with Alberni Valley, Victoria and Vernon and spent some time in the WHL as well with the Portland Winterhawks. He sat out the 2013-14 season before making his pro debut with the Mallards last season, contributing 27 points (12g, 15a) in 60 games played.

“Pearce adapted well to the pro game last year especially considering he was coming back after a year out,” said Ruskowski in a team issued press release.  “He’s a skilled player who should be able take another step forward in his second season.”

Collins is also a BC native, the 25-year-old, 6’4,” 216 lbs. winger calling Langley home. He split his time between South Carolina and Quad City last season and previously played pro with Mississippi of the SPHL.

Collins played four seasons of junior in British Columbus, Saskatchewan and Manitoba then in 2010 tried a brief stint overseas and part of a season of College hockey at Thompson Rivers University.

Last year Collins picked up two assists in 19 games with South Carolina and then added seven more points (5g, 2a) in 29 games with the Mallards, adding 83 penalty minutes.

“Anthony was an important addition for us last season.  He’s a gritty, hard-working player who can handle the physical side of the game really well,” said Ruskowski. “For an enforcer he has very good hands and understands the game pretty well.  He’s someone who’s always there for his teammates and off the ice is a strong presence in the locker room.”

Monfredo and Grasso return

Late in the month, the Mallards saw two more players return as defenseman Mike Monfedo and utility player Nick Grasso both signed to rejoin the club.

Monfredo is a 25-year-old, 6’4,” 209 lbs. native of Shirley, NY who will be lacing them up for a fourth consecutive full season with the Mallards.

After three seasons on East Coast junior clubs, Monfredo added another three on Detroit-based teams in the NAHL. He moved on to play a season at Fredonia University and then started the 2012-13 season on a College Club team  at Oakland University before making the jump to pro. So far,all of his pro games have been played with the Mallards, both in the CHL and now ECHL.

Last season Monfredo played in all 72 regular season games, contributing 28 points (8g, 20a) and 100 penalty minutes.

“Mike has been one of our most important defensemen since the first time he put on a Mallards uniform.  He’s very dependable and can also be really difficult to play against,”  Ruskowski.  “He’s also someone who contributes offensively and can stand up for his teammates when he needs to.”

It’s always nice to land a player who can play forward or defense and Grasso, a 27-year-old, 6’1,” 185 lbs. player from Smithtown, NY brings that back to the Mallards for a third season where he has played exclusively since turning pro in 2013-14.

Grasso played his junior with Cedar Rapids, Ohio and Waterloo in the USHL and also spent a couple of seasons in the EJHL with New Jersey and New York before moving on to four full seasons at American International College.

Last year, Grasso played 63 games in a Mallards’ uniform, collecting 16 points (6g, 10a) and eight penalty minutes, finishing with a +15 rating on the season.

“Someone like Nick who can fill a variety of roles would be valuable to any team,” said Ruskowski.  “He’s done anything we’ve asked of him the last two years and brings a lot of energy and intensity any time he steps on the ice.”

Gibson joins Mallard flock

The team added one more defenseman at the end of the season as rookie Kevin Gibson signed on.

Technically, Gibson has three games of pro experience, playing three games at Tulsa after finishing his fourth and final season at University of Wisconsin/Stevens Point last season.

The 25-year-old, 6’0,” 172 lbs. native of Grosse Point, MI played three seasons of junior split between Marquette and Michigan of the NAHL as well as USHL teams in Green Bay and Sioux City before starting at UW-Stevens Point.

Last season Gibson was an Assistant Captain with the Pointers, collecting 31 points (8g, 23a) and 14 penalty minutes in 31 games. He will still be searching for his first pro stats when he starts with Quad City this season.

In a team press release, Coach Ruskowski said he got a good tip about Gibson.

“I first heard about Kevin Gibson from Chris Brooks, his college coach, who told me he was very competitive and a very good defenseman, so that got me really interested.  I’m sure some of that competitiveness comes from his gene pool,” said Ruskowski.  “Kevin is very excited to come here.  He wants a chance to compete and be seen and we can give him a chance to prove he can go to a higher level.”