MOLINE, Ill. (August 22, 2013) - The Quad City Mallards have re-signed defenseman Matt Duffy, the Mallards announced today.
"Matt's a very dependable defenseman who provides veteran leadership and who we expect to be a key player for us again this season," said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski. "He brings great effort shift-in and shift-out and is a guy we can count on in important situations- including the power play, where plays an important role for us."
Duffy, 27, returns for a third season with the Mallards after finishing last year tied for fourth among Central Hockey League defensemen in points (42), fifth among blue liners in assists (33) and tied for seventh among defensemen in goals (9). The 6' 2", 200-pound Windham, Maine, native finished ninth overall in plus/minus rating (+19).
Duffy first joined the Mallards in January of 2012 after mononucleosis kept him off the ice for the first half of the 2011-12 season. He scored three goals and totaled 11 points in 21 games in his first campaign in the Quad Cities.
Duffy was originally selected by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round of the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft with the one hundred fourth overall choice. After a four-year collegiate career at the University of Maine, Duffy broke into professional hockey at the tail end of the 2008-09 season, seeing time with both the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans and the ECHL's Florida Everblades. The following year, in his first full pro campaign, Duffy produced five goals and 14 points in 52 games with the Everblades and scored once and recorded five points in 11 games with the Americans.
Duffy split the bulk of the 2010-11 season between the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings and Gwinnett Gladiators and also played two games for the Portland Pirates of the AHL. He scored four goals and totaled 10 points in 56 ECHL games.
Duffy played 165 career games at Maine, scoring 21 goals and notching 43 points. Duffy went to the Frozen Four with the Black Bears each of his first two years at Orono. He enjoyed his most productive season as a collegian when he scored seven goals and totaled 17 points in 39 games as a senior in 2008-09.
The Mallards will open their seventeenth season- and their fourth in the CHL- when they host the Rapid City Rush on Saturday night, October 19. Mallards 2013-14 season tickets as well as half season tickets and flex packs are now on sale. The Mallards offer ticket packages to meet any budget and season ticket holders also receive a host of additional benefits, including a unique season ticket holder Mallards jersey. More ticket package information is available by calling the Mallards at 309-277-1364 or emailing info@myqcmallards.com.
About the Quad City MallardsThe Quad City Mallards are approaching their seventeenth season and their fourth in the Central Hockey League (CHL). One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League (UHL) from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League (IHL) in 2009-10. The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record. In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched. The i wireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club. For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.com. Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards
