MOLINE, Ill. (September 3, 2013) - The Quad City Mallards have signed goaltender Philippe Trudeau and forward John Heffernan, the Mallards announced today.
Trudeau, who turns 20 later this month, split last year between the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Val d'Or Foreurs and posted a 3.53 goals against average and .895 save percentage along with a record of 11-19-2 in 44 regular season games. The 6' 6", 213-pound Blainville, Quebec, product went on to backstop the Foreurs to an opening round playoff upset of the Prince Edward Island Rocket.
Trudeau spent three seasons in the QMJHL, playing briefly for the Moncton Wildcats before his stints in Cape Breton and Val d'Or. In exactly 100 career junior games he turned in a 3.81 goals against average and a .884 save percentage alongside a 28-47-3 record.
"Philippe is a quality young goaltender who has great size and a lot of potential," said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski. "We're excited about him joining the Mallards and doing his part to make sure we can count on strong goaltending night-in and night-out."
Heffernan, 24, scored four goals and totaled 11 points as a senior at Merrimack College last season. Over four years as a Warrior, the 6' 2", 200-pound Heffernan produced nine goals and 22 points in 65 games. The Scituate, Massachusetts, native's sophomore season saw Merrimack earn what was its second ever NCAA Division I tournament berth and its first in nearly a quarter of a century.
Before arriving at Merrimack, Heffernan won a pair of Massachusetts state titles- in 2006 and 2007- while at Boston College High School and went on to lead the Bridgewater Bandits of the Eastern Junior Hockey League in point-scoring (20-33-53) in 2008-09. Heffernan was a teammate of fellow Mallard signee and Scituate native Rob Dongara in both youth hockey and high school.
"John's a hard-working player who's had success at every level he's played at," said Ruskowski. "He's been schooled at a very solid college program so we're looking forward to joining us in the Quad Cities."
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 Mallards
A 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
