MOLINE, Ill. (August 29, 2013) - The Quad City Mallards have signed rookie forwards Brendan Turner, Rob Dongara and Tony Rizzi, the Mallards announced today.
"All three of these guys are very promising young players," said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski. "Brendan is a very good skater who had a lot of success in college hockey and comes from the same program that produced [former Mallard] Mickey Lang; Rob is another guy who skates well and is the kind of tenacious, hard-nosed player who can be very valuable; and Tony has had success in the power forward role not only because of his size but also because he can really shoot the puck."
Turner, 25, scored nine goals and totaled 17 points in 26 games as a senior at Division III Manhattanville College last season. The 5' 11", 175-pound Tisdale, Saskatchewan, native produced 23 goals and 52 points in 75 games over the course of his decorated Valiant career. Turner earned a 2011-12 All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference West honorable mention selection after scoring 11 goals and pocketing 27 points in 25 games as a junior. Last spring Turner helped Manhattanville to the championship game of the ECAC West Tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts. He also made the ECAC West All-Academic Team each of the last two years. Before his move to Manhattanville, Turner spent three seasons with the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Lloydminster Bobcats.
Dongara, 23, sat out last season per NCAA rules after transferring from Northeastern to the University of Massachusetts. In 2011-12, the 5' 10", 175-pound Dongara notched a goal and an assist in 16 games as a Husky sophomore. He scored six times and collected 14 points in 36 games during his freshman season at N.U. The Scituate, Massachusetts, product skated in the junior ranks for the North American Hockey League's Springfield Junior Blues and the Eastern Junior Hockey League's Jersey Hitmen before arriving at Northeastern.
Rizzi, a 6' 4", 202-pound 25-year old, scored 13 goals and registered 21 points in 26 games for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology last season. A native of Kingston, Ontario, Rizzi piled up 49 goals and 103 points in 138 games over five years of university hockey. He served as an assistant captain in his last two seasons at UOIT and last year won the team's Leadership Award.
Before joining the Ridgebacks, Rizzi sandwiched a pair of seasons (2002-03 and 2007-08) with the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League around a four-year stint in the major junior Ontario Hockey League. Rizzi spent his first three-plus OHL seasons in his hometown with the Kingston Frontenacs before joining the Peterborough Petes for the bulk of the 2006-07 campaign.
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 MallardsA proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are approaching their seventeenth season and their fourth in the Central Hockey League. One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League 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
